Being Georgiana
by Spring Turkey
Summary: I really hated my lack of self control. Just like every other girl in the room, I allowed my eyes to wander to his seat at the back of the room. And I think I lost my sanity momentarily when he met my gaze for a second. BlaiseXOC PRE-OOTP
1. Chapter 1

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

I crossed and uncrossed my legs while chewing the end of my quill. Despite the fact that I was in Ravenclaw, there were certain subjects that vexed me completely. Potions being one of them. It didn't help that my partner was daft as a doornail. Arthur White was quite a plump boy with little more intelligence than my eleven year old brother, Simon. And for a seventh year, that was no compliment.

"Miss Robins, perhaps you know the answer?" Slughorn's voice echoed across the dungeon. I felt my cheeks flush. I hadn't been paying attention for at least the last half an hour, so I racked my brains for a second.

"Eye of newt?" I answered, hiding any uncertainty in my voice.

"Very good. Now, can anyone tell me why you only add eye of newt _after_ the wolfsbane?" he asked, diverting his attention to the other side of the room. I let out a deep breath. As long as he asked a Slytherin, they'd get it right. Those kids were so damn good at this subject and I didn't really get it. "Zabini?" I really hated my lack of self control. Just like every other girl in the room, I allowed my eyes to wander to his seat at the back of the room. And I think I lost my sanity momentarily when he met my gaze for a second.

"Because otherwise, the potion will become tar-like and poisonous," he said coolly. His eyes flashed toward me again and I immediately faced forward. I'd been oggling Blaise Zabini since third year and I was almost positive he had no idea I even existed. Though I never admitted it (not like I had any friends to tell), I thought he was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen. He had dark, wavy hair that was always long. He was taller than me, which was uncommon enough to be a plus. And he had amazing blue eyes. Kind of like a Greek god.

"Very good. Five points to Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Now, we will be moving onto to more complex potions for the start of this year. You will be re-partnered. The more advanced students will assist those falling behind. I have the names-" he pulled out a piece of parchment, "here. When I call them, please go over to your new partner." You know when something bad is about to you and you can tell? "Mr White, you will be partnered with Mr Malfoy. Miss Patil, with Mr Nott. Pucey, you're with Boot."

A few people complained silently. Slughorn always ignored our complaints, though.

"Miss Robins, with Miss Parkinson, please."

"You're joking?" I asked, much louder than I planned. Everyone stopped and looked at me. If there was one thing I didn't complain about it was partners. But Pansy Parkinson was the most awful of them all.

"Far from it, Miss Robins. Would you like me to direct you to your seat?" he added sarcastically. I gathered my things and walked over to the Slytherin half of the dungeon. The empty seat beside Parkinson was right in front of Zabini. If I was going to pass this year of Potions, I needed to become deaf and blind. Mute might have helped as well.

"Ew, don't touch anything of mine, Robins," squealed Parkinson.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't risk catching whatever you have," I replied scathingly. I pulled out my parchment and quill and began copying the instructions from the board. I hadn't noticed I was chewing my quill again, staring into space, until Parkinson spoke.

"Great, I get partnered with the only brainless Ravenclaw in the school. What on earth am I being punished for?" A couple of her Slytherin friends giggled, while the nearby Ravenclaws gave me sympathetic looks.

"Pansy, are you physically incapable of shutting your trap?" complained a drawling voice I immediately recognized as Malfoy's. I could only assume she had been talking while I was in la-la-land. But she only looked embarrassed for a second before she let out a high pitched giggle and resumed a conversation with Amy Smith, who had been partnered with Zabini.

I don't think I had ever been so happy to leave a class in my life, but when that bell went off, I bolted. Which was probably dumb, because on my way to Transfiguration, I realized I'd forgotten my bag. And right when I was about to turn back-

"Robins!" I spun around, my hair making a whipping noise in the air. And my Greek god was standing there with my bag on his outstretched arm. I silently walked up to him and grabbed it, slinging it over my shoulder. And I walked away. I was expecting - him being who he was - to hear a snide remark about my lack of gratitude, but I'm pretty sure he only stood there, because I didn't hear footsteps. Mind you, that might have been because I returned to la-la-land.

--------

"Georgiana? Georgiana!" I heard someone say. I snapped out of it and realized I was at the dinner table in the Great Hall. "Georgiana, can you please return to earth and pass me the mashed potatoes?" Caroline Swanson asked me, making no effort to hide her irritation. I blushed and passed her the tray. I stared down at my own plate which was nearly untouched. I knew I should eat, but I wasn't hungry. I left the table and headed for the library, which was sure to be empty.

"Robins, shouldn't you be at dinner?"

I stopped dead in the middle of the corridor. I failed miserably at hiding my deep breaths, and I was almost certain he could hear my heart thumping against my ribcage. Slowly, I turned to the source of the voice. That velvety, beautiful voice.

"I could ask you the same thing, Zabini," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"But I was on my way _to_ the Great Hall, not fleeing it like it held the plague." Had I really been like that? In an empty corridor, I didn't really pay attention to my appearance, so it was possible.

"It's not really any of your business, is it?" I said coolly. "Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" _Or someone you need to snog._ He gave me a funny sort of smile and then walked away. But not toward the Great Hall. He was walking in the direction I had been only moments ago.

"I thought you were going to dinner," I said after catching up to him.

"Somehow, I'm not hungry.," he answered, not looking at me. I made an 'oh' with my mouth and tried to slow down so I could lag behind him. But he matched my pace. So I stopped.

"What are you doing?" I asked finally. His face held no shock when he looked at me. "Up until today, I was sure you didn't even know my name." I really didn't want that last part to come out. But I didn't show that.

"Of course I know your name, Robins. Don't be stupid." And that's all he said before disappearing down an unfamiliar staircase. I shook my head and pushed open the library door. Empty as desired, I went straight to my usual table (and yes, I said my _usual_) and spread out my books. I had a Transfiguration essay, a Potions experiment observation and Arithmancy to do. I was always one to put off unfavourable tasks, so I put my blank Potions chart at the bottom of my pile.

"_Explain in detail the process of changing a live creature into another. Add any researched facts or real examples to support your points._ Great," I read to myself. It wasn't even that I had a problem with Transfiguration, I just found it incredibly tedious, and spent most lessons staring into the back of Zabini's head. Oops, don't tell him about that. He'd probably move to the other end of the classroom.

"Honestly, Robins, don't you have friends?" Draco Malfoy's voice said from behind me. What was it with people and being behind me?

"What's it to you?" _And why the hell are you talking to me?_ He smirked at me and sat down across from me at the table.

"Just an observation. I don't think I've ever seen you sit here with anyone. Or even walk to class with anyone. Are you more repulsive than you appear?" he asked. I didn't know what to make of this situation. It's not like I'd never spoken to Malfoy before. Being a pureblood, my family always attended dinners and parties at Malfoy Manor. But I don't think we'd spoken in school.

"Maybe so. You should go away before you catch some horrible disease," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes and returning them to my essay. He was absently fiddling with on the table. Like he wanted to say something else to me.

"At least you're not naïve," he said before standing up. However much I desired to ask him what in Merlin's name he meant, I forced myself not to. He looked back at me once more before leaving me alone once again. What a weird day this was.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, well thanks to my one loyal reviewer, read-on! I like triangles too:P I fixed up the last chapter because it loaded weird. I guess here it is, for those interested. **

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

I sighed. Binns' voice was drilling into my skull and I had a pounding headache. I think there was a unified breath of relief in the room when the bell went off. At least History of Magic was the last class of the day and we all got to trudge back to our common rooms. I, however, veered away from the long line of Ravenclaws and headed toward the library. My Potions assignment was due the next day and I hadn't started it at all. Everytime I tried to face it, my thoughts wandered to Zabini and Malfoy's strange behaviour. I didn't have any classes with the Slytherin's since that Potions, which was probably a very good thing.

"Robins," Adrian Pucey's voice called from in front of me. What was this? Turn of the universe? At least Pucey talking to me, however weird it was, freaked me out a little less. His parents were good friends with mine and he had escorted me to more than one stupid ball.

"What?" I replied, sounding as rude as possible.

"Whoa, calm down. I didn't hurt you or anything. I kind of wanted to ask you something," he said.

"Okay," I said. I was expecting him to speak right away, but he started to shift around on his feet and look over his shoulder. "What?" He still didn't answer. _What the hell is wrong with everyone?_ I started to get nervous, so I looked over my shoulder and Malfoy and Zabini were standing there, glaring down Pucey. Without even thinking, I grabbed Pucey's arm and pulled him into the library.

"What the hell?" he whispered.

"You better tell me what the hell is going on, Pucey, or I swear to God you will never have children," I spat, holding his shirt at his throat and pointing my wand there. I was always short-tempered, and he was probably one of the few people that knew it. Fear flashed over his face, but he didn't answer. I pressed my wand harder.

"Robins, I had no idea you were so violent." I whipped around. I was doing a lot of that these days. Zabini was the one speaking. Malfoy wasn't in sight.

"Zabini, are you going to tell me what you want?" I asked against all better judgement. Before, answering, he looked at Pucey and nodded, continuing the glare. Pucey all but ran from the room.

"Skipping dinner to study again?" he asked, ignoring my question. He started walking deeper into the library. Toward my table. _My_ table.

"What do you want?"

"If I told you I wanted you, would you believe me?" he asked. I nearly choked on the nothing that was in my throat. I answered without thinking.

"Not for a second."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," he replied. And then he grabbed my arms, held them above me head and pushed me against the wall. My chest was hammering. I couldn't breathe. My stomache was doing cartwheels and I was fighting the urge to scream at the top of my lungs.

"I'm going to ask you again. What do you want?" I whispered. God, I was so bloody helpless, I couldn't even push him away. His face was closing in on mine.

"If you're going to walk around here like that, you need to watch yourself." I really wish I could have explained what the hell he was talking about. With his free hand, he grabbed a strand of my auburn hair and twirled it around his index finger.

"I'm not going to get an explaination at all, am I?" I guess he found the best way to shut me up. He kissed me very lightly on the forehead and released my hands. But I couldn't move. I held my hands above me.

"Have a good night, Georgiana," he said, before walking away.

After about five minutes, I composed myself and sat down at the table. A really guilty part of me wished he had kissed me on the lips. However lame it was, I'd never been kissed. I shook my head as if to get rid of the thoughts. I really did need to concentrate on my Potions assignment. I had only just passed sixth year and Slughorn had told me he was 'disappointed.'

I had only been filling in my grid for ten minutes when students began to file into the library. I don't know why, but it made me uncomfortable. And I was sure I was psychic, because that's when I heard it.

"I know she'll be in here, she has no _life_," that horrible, screechy voice said. It was like nails on a chalkboard to me. And I wanted to hide. I didn't want to face her. And, shit, I didn't even know why. "There you are." I looked up. Pansy Parkinson, Amy Smith, Carissa Foxe and Megan Finchley. The four girls I really just did not have the patience for.

"Here I am," I said. This answer appeared to displease them.

"You need to watch yourself, Robins." Again with this watch myself bullshit!

"Thanks for the warning," I replied sarcastically. I was not about to humour her and ask her what she meant.

"We know exactly what you're doing. We'll be watching you. I don't care if you're pureblood. You're still scum in my eyes," said Amy. I rolled my eyes. She was one of those girls who I'd known forever. And hated from the beginning.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I answered scathingly. "But if you guys don't get out of my sight, I swear-"

"Are these girls bothering you, Georgiana?" Okay, most awkward. After being approached by Pucey and attacked by Zabini. Now Draco Malfoy was rescuing me from the bitch squad. And calling me by my first name.

"No, they were just leaving. I suggest you follow suit if you're here to warn me as well," I told him, sounding much surer than I felt. He smirked at me.

"Pansy, don't you have some business to attend to in the common room?" he said to her. She gasped and looked from him to me, but seemed to realize it was not worth it to argue. All four girls left, noses in the air. They hadn't been gone a second before Malfoy sat down across from me once again.

"Is anyone going to explain what's going on here? You've _never_ spoken to me in school. Maybe once or twice otherwise, but only to be polite. Zabini never talks to me. Parkinson never threatens me without telling me why and announcing it in front of everyone."

"Is it so weird that we're being polite?"

"Yes," I replied instantly. "But it's more than that. Why did Zabini come _warn_ me earlier? Why did Pucey try to talk to me, and then try to run away when he saw you two? Why can't you guys let me continue being a nobody?" I was whining by the end and I knew it.

"Do you really want to know why?" He leaned in a bit over the table.

"Yes," I said again.

"Have you ever looked in a mirror?" I blushed. I looked in the mirror very often to crticize my own appearance. My freckled face, greeny-grey eyes and button nose were not much to look at. Not to mention my towering height - 5'10. No guy looked twice at me. Or so I thought.

"Of course I have. What's your point?"

"Do you remember what you wore to the Summer Ball?" he asked, leaning back in his chair again. I furrowed my brow and thought about it for a second. I remembered clutching Pucey's arm as I stumbled down the stairs, making my grand entrance. And please do not poke fun at the fact that us purebloods hold a summer ball. We have one every school holiday, and then some.

"Dress robes?" I offered.

"Let me refresh your memory." He produced a wooden frame containing a moving picture of me and my brother, both attempting to hide from the camera. I was wearing very dark green dress robes and my hair was half up, Maid Marian style.

"So? Maybe I looked nice for once. Am I not allowed? Must I always be the ugly duckling at our parents' stupid parties?"

"You stupid, stupid girl," he chuckled. "I'm going to be blunt. You would've been better off staying unnoticed." I assumed my blank look encouraged him to continue. He walked over to my side and leaned against the table. "You attracted some attention at that party. If you think Zabini and I are too much for you, be glad it's _only_ us. We're doing our best, but we can't really contain you inside the castle during every outing."

"Um, thanks I guess. But I've done perfectly well at taking care of myself for the last seventeen years, and I don't plan to change that. You guys can lay off."

"Why? Do we make you uncomfortable?" he whispered in my ear. I didn't tell him, but that's exactly what they did. "You see, we're usually very good at controlling ourselves. And we play fair with eachother. But if there is anyone to turn us against eachother, it will be you."

"If this is some kind of joke, you can stop now. I won't play along until you guys make a fool of me in front of the school. I don't care how good-looking and smooth-talking you two are. Go bed someone who wants you." I couldn't believe I had just said that, but I was so frustrated with this whole thing that I shoved my books into my bag and made to leave. But he grabbed my hand.

"You are so thick," he laughed, pulling me to him with great force. I was now becoming aware of the eyes on us. The rumours were going to be circled before I returned to my room.

"I am perfectly serious, and far from thick."

"If I was not serious, there is no way I would do this, and in front of people too." He was no Blaise Zabini, but Draco Malfoy had just stolen my first kiss. It was very light and short, but it still was what it was.

I slapped him and ran as fast as possible anywhere but there. What a dramatic life I was getting myself into. I found myself in Moaning Myrtle's toilets. She was nowhere to be seen, so I collapsed against the wall and hugged my knees tight against my chest. I really didn't need this. I was perfectly happy being a nobody in the eyes of everybody. I had almost made it through school.

"Georgiana, right?" I looked up. It was little (well, not so little) Ginny Weasley. I nodded. She uninvitedly sat down beside me. "I saw what happened in the library. You and Malfoy, huh?"

"No, of course not. That was just a misunderstanding." I couldn't tell if I was convincing her or me. Probably both.

"Look, I'm going to be honest with you. Someone asked me to check if you were in here. But I won't tell them you're here." She put a hand on my shoulder. "I know you don't have many friends-" I snorted. "But if you ever want to talk to someone, I'm available. I know problems with the male sex can be highly distracting." She stood up and offered her hand to help me up and I took it.

"Thanks." I wanted to say something else to her, but I just smiled. And she left. I followed after a minute or so of staring down my reflection.

"Georgiana," a voice said, the owner grabbing my arm.

"You can call me Robins." I kept walking.

"I know you don't believe Draco, but can you just _listen_ for one second?" I stopped walking and turned to him, our faces only inches apart.

"I'm listening."

"Trust me, if it were up to me, I wouldn't even bother with you. But I can't think of any other girl but you and it's driving me absolutely mad. Bloody hell, I don't know anything about you! And I know you've been watching me. I know you're _physically_ attracted to me. But how does that mean anything when you-"

"When I won't give you a good shag just for the hell of it?" I raised my voice.

"_Precisely._ But somehow, that's not all I want out of you. I want something more, but I don't know what that is."

"Well then you have just about as much relationship experience as I. So why don't you go find some random girl to satisfy your desires and leave me alone?"

"Because I don't want to." The way he said those words made me forget why I was angry. God damn thses beautiful boys.


	3. Chapter 3

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

I was happy for the first time in a while. It was a Hogsmeade weekend. And while I didn't have anyone to go with, I always enjoyed myself. I was almost skipping when I left the Great Hall with my coat on. But then I saw him.

"Oh no. What do you want?" I asked Zabini. Count on him to ruin any joy left in my day.

"Georgiana, wouldn't you rather stay in the castle?" he asked, approaching me. "With me?"

"No, I'm good thanks." I tried to shove my way past him, but he grabbed my arms.

"Are you sure?" he whispered into my ear. It sent a shiver down my spine. My mind went slightly foggy and I couldn't remember why I was rejecting him.

"_Yes_, I'm sure. Now can I go?" I said finally. This lack of self-control thing was really frustrating.

"Fine. But be careful." He looked really reluctant too let go of my arm, but he did eventually. I sighed and began trudging down the path.

"George, wait up!" Finally, a normal person was calling from behind me. It was my little brother, Simon.

"What's up?" I asked when he caught up to me. He was in Slytherin, like most of my family, so I didn't see him much. Not that he would want to see much of me.

"Can you lend me a few sickles? I lost all my pocket change to Jamie Armstrong on the last Quidditch game," he almost begged. I rolled my eyes and gave him the silver. I always had extra money. "Thanks!"

"What are you going to buy with all that money, little brother?"

"Nothing. First years aren't allowed to the village. I just need some spare change to bet on the next game." My eleven year old brother; in school for two months and already gambling. I patted his blonde head as he ran back up to the school.

When I finally reached the village, it was already swarming with students. I really needed some new quills (that chewing habit was costing me a fortune), so I went to Dervish and Banges first. Or at least that was my plan.

"Stephen! What are you doing here?" I cried, hugging my _older_ brother, Darcy's friend. He smiled at me. A really cute, dimpled smile.

"Just in the neighbourhood. Wanted to say hi." However weird that sounded, I was happy to see someone I could call my friend that I didn't care.

"How's Darcy? Staying out of trouble?" I inquired. My nineteen-year-old brother was in Auror training and I hardly saw him when I went home.

"He's great. Him and Marina are still going strong," he replied, beginning to walk. I walked beside him.

"And what about you? Do you have a lady love yet?" He laughed and shook his head. "No? A gentleman love, then?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't swing that way. Hey, I've got some time before I have to head back. Want to grab a butterbeer?"

"Yes!" I was exhilirated by this human companionship that I was so not used to. He led me into the Three Broomsticks and sat me down at a table while he went to grab drinks. That was when I noticed Zabini, Malfoy and Parkinson sitting at a table across the room _glaring_ at me. I was too contented to pay attention so I looked away. Stephen was cracking some jokes with Madame Rosmerta while waiting for the drinks. I was so preoccupied watching him that I didn't noticed Zabini beside me until I was in his shadow.

"I had no idea you had a boyfriend, Georgiana," he commented nonchalantly.

"What's it to you?" That wasn't an outright lie. Maybe these apparent nutjobs would bugger off if they thought I was taken.

"Just an observation. Look, I think we started off on the wrong foot. Why don't we just be friends for now?" I looked at him incredulously. Blaise Zabini was not ever just _friends_ with a girl. I think Hell's temperature had just dropped by twenty degrees. I still hadn't answered him when I noticed Stephen walking back over. "Have fun with Waverly."

"Who was that?" Stephen asked, giving me my drink.

"Just a friend. So, what've you been up to lately?" He answered me but I hadn't heard anything he said. Zabini had known Stephen's last name. But he would have no idea who he was. After racking my brains I decided they must have been on the Slytherin Quidditch team together when Stephen was still in school. That's what I wanted to believe. But what was nagging me was that Stephen didn't recognize Zabini at all.

"George, are you listening to anything I'm saying?" he asked.

"What? Oh, yes. Sorry. I was just thinking about an assignment I have due," I lied. "What were you saying?"

"I said that I'm getting a job at the Ministry. In the Department of Magical Transportation. Isn't that great?" he asked, sounding a bit exasperated. I vaguely wondered how many times he had said it before.

"Wow, that's wonderful!" I exclaimed, trying to sound as excited as possible. He'd wanted to work for Ministry as long as I'd known him. "I suppose your dad is happy?"

"Ecstatic. Mother actually cried when I told her. So how is my dear sister?" he asked. I cringed internally. His sister and I were mortal enemies, but we did well to keep that from our tight-knit families. At any gathering, we acted as if we were best friends and it worked just fine for us.

"She's great," I said, hoping he wouldn't pry.

"Oh, look! There she is!" he cried happily. Before I could stop him, he called her over. "Clare!" I shrank into my seat. She was with her best friend, Kirsten, whom I hated more than Clare herself.

"Stephen! What are you doing here?" she squealed in mock enthusiasm. She did love her brother, but hated that he liked me.

"Just stopping by. Won't you join us? I'm sure I'm boring Georgiana to death and she'd love some female company," he suggested. As he was looking over his shoulder, I was able to give Clare some dirty looks that meant 'get lost.' But of course she didn't listen.

"Of course, brother. Have I introduced you to my friend, Kirsten?" she said, sitting down right beside me. She really enjoyed making me look like a total ass in fron of her brother.

"Hi there. Let me go grab you girls some drinks." And he left me. Alone in the lion's den.

"Why do you insist on throwing yourself at every man who will look your way?" Clare spat as soon as her brother was out of earshot.

"Excuse me? I believe that's _you_ who does that. I wasn't - nor have I _ever_ - throwing myself at anyone."

"What about Blaise Zabini? Everyone knows you've been bothering him, following him like a lost puppy," Kirsten spoke. They were both smiling sinisterly.

"Not that it's any of your business, but that is something _I_ would never do. Everyone can believe what they want. If you want him, go get him." The look Clare got on her face told me she'd already tried. "Wow, you must be hideous to be turned down by Blaise Zabini," I laughed.

"Did I miss something?" Stephen asked me, placing the two bottles on the table.

"No, nothing at all," I replied, smiling sweetly. "But I really have to get back to the castle. I have a lot of homework, and I don't want to intrude."

"That's ridiculous! It's Saturday. Please stay," he begged. I think he subconsciously grabbed my hand, but I shook my head. He tried to insist on walking me back to the school, but I declined. My mood had soured in the last five minutes.

"I'll see you around," I said before exiting the pub as fast as possible, trying to avoid the seemingly unavoidable. It was not Zabini, however, but Malfoy that followed me out. "Can you two leave me alone for _one bloody day_?" I cursed, continuing to walk.

"I'm sure we could, but then wherever would we get our amusement?" He had moved incredibly fast and stopped in front of her.

"I'm a _nobody_! You create no effect on anyone else by toying with my feelings! The whole godforsaken school thinks I'm _throwing _myself at you two! I've half a mind to get my brother to kick your ass," I seethed.

"Hah! Darcy wouldn't lay a finger on me. And I don't know when Clare Waverly became the whole 'godforsaken school', but I must say, I don't really approve of her brother."

"Well thank you, father. Your opinion has been duely noted and filed in the circular file." I shoved him with all my might and kept walking. I really wished they would leave me alone. Nothing could have been worse than me starting to _believe_ one of them and walk right into this stupid trap. Nothing.

"You are the most stubborn girl I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Good. Then leave me alone." I stomped off once again.

"What is this _shield_ you build around yourself?" he yelled, though he did not follow me. That comment got under my skin enough for me to turn around.

"Don't pretend that you know anything about me," I said angrily.

"I know more than you think, love. Care to challenge that?" he asked. I think he took my angry glare and silence as a yes. "What I do know, Georgiana _Elizabeth_ Robins-" I flinched at the use of my middle name. "Is that you have no friends at this school. That you've _never_ had a boyfriend, and I do believe your first kiss was _me._ I'm also aware that most of your family has been in Slytherin and that you have shunned your noble birth." I couldn't help but scoff.

"You call being pureblood _noble_? I call it being part of wizarding aristocracy. And that is _no_ compliment." He ignored my comment it seemed, but all the while staring straight into my eyes.

"But you, dearest, are more than anything afraid to let people in. Why else would a seventeen year old girl have no friends and no boyfriend? You have some fear of getting to close to people and allowing yourself to be vulnerable." He spoke very slowly. And accurately. I was suddenly overcome with emotion, but I didn't cry.

"It's the safest way to live," I whispered.

"It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all," he quoted. Who knew Draco Malfoy knew anything about love? Certainly not I. "Have a good day, Georgiana," he said before turning back for the village. When I returned to planet earth, I realized I'd forgotten my bag at the pub.

**A/N: I am, for the first time, switching POV's!!**

**Blaise Zabini POV**

I checked my watch yet again. Draco should have been back already. Pansy was really starting to bore me by now, and I really wished I was allowed to off Waverly right now. That'd kill two birds with one stone - then his sister would leave me alone. I let out a big sigh when I saw him push through the door.

"Bloody hell, what have you gotten us into?" he mumbled, sitting back in his seat.

"Well I didn't know that it would be so hard to get a date with a virgin loner!" I replied. This whole thing was frustrating beyond belief.

"I still don't see why you need to date her to do this," complained Pansy. Everyone knew she'd do anything to get either one of us. And we'd do anything to avoid that.

"How else are we supposed to keep an eye on her all the time without seeming suspicious?" I challenged her. I was convinved she was actually a blonde somewhere not so deep inside.

"But nothing can happen inside the castle. And its much easier to follow her around unnoticed in the village. Did he say 'You must date her'?" asked Pansy. She never gave up.

"It's not open for argument anymore, Pansy, so shut up," replied Draco. He turned back to me. "You've dated everyone and their mom, don't you have experience with girls like her? The ones that think you're full of shit?"

"But you _are_ full of shit," Pansy interjected. We both ignored her.

"I don't think I've ever been turned down." It was almost true. Ginny Weasley had very violently turned me down, but they didn't need to know about that.

"Do you know what I think?" I didn't care what she thought, but I let her speak while I was thinking. "If I was in that position, I would want the guy to back off for a bit, and then do _small_ things to get to me. I think I'd start to believe after some consistency."

"You know, for once your yapping did you some good," Draco said. I agreed. "But only one of us should try at a time. You can go first."

"Alrighty then. Now that we've settled that, let's get some Firewhisky," I grinned, thumping my mug on the table.

**Georgiana Robins POV**

"But you _are_ full of shit," Parkinson said as I walked in. I glanced over to see her talking to Zabini and Malfoy - too engrossed in their conversation to notice me for once. I quickly ran over to my previous, now empty, table and grabbed my bag. I was almost out the door when I heard a bit more.

"I don't think I've ever been turned down," Zabini said. I couldn't help buy smirk to myself. And then, of course, she had to speak.

"Do you know what I think?" came her shrill voice. "If I was in that position, I would want the guy to back off for a bit, and then do _small_ things to get to me. I think I'd start to believe after some consistency."

"You know, for once your yapping did you some good. But only one of us should try at a time. You can go first," Malfoy told Zabini. I almost dropped my bag. I just realized what Parkinson meant when she had said they were full of shit.

On my way to the castle, I almost felt like crying. But then I remembered that I hadn't fallen for it. I was right. And it was pay back time.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yay! More reviewers! Thanks, guys. Just for anyone who thought that Blaise and Draco came on to strong, hopefully you see the purpose. I wonder if anyone has figured out what's happening.... Anyways, voila!**

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"If you have love in your life it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you don't have it, no matter what else there is, it's not enough." - Ann Landers

**Georgiana Robins POV**

My plan came to me when I arrived at the breakfast table on Monday only to find a single daisy in a vase. Attached to it was a simple card that said 'Sorry. B.' I had to laugh. Whether it was at the fact I knew exactly what his plan was, or that had I not known it, this would have worked a bit I didn't know for sure. It was when I was about to trash the flower in front of his eyes that my plan came to me.

"Who's the flower from, Georgiana?" Karen Meadows asked, nosily leaning past three people to read my note.

"I've no idea. They didn't leave their full name. But it's cute, isn't it?" I smiled and sniffed the flower, pointedly not looking at Zabini, but making sure he was watching me. I immediately had the agreement of all of the girls in my vicinity.

"Oh, maybe it's from Blake!" squealed Natasha Davies, referring to the official 'hottie' of our house. I snorted into my porridge at the ridiculousness of her suggestion.

"Yeah, maybe." I left the table after downing a couple strips of bacon. My first class today was Potions and I could honestly say I was looking forward to it.

When I arrived in the dungeon, there were only a few students there: Parkinson and 3 Ravenclaws. I dropped my bag onto our shared table and intentionally ignored her while humming happily to myself. My plan B was that she would snap and tell me the real reason Zabini and Malfoy wanted to date me. But plan A was so fool proof that I doubted B's necessity.

"I hope you're going to be paying attention this time, _Robins_," Parkinson spat just as people began filing into the room. I just smiled at her with a fake smile.

"Settle down, settle down. Alright, today we will be making the Draught of Peace to test where we are at. You should remember it from last year, but for those who don't, the instructions are on the board. Begin," ordered Slughorn before sitting down to his coffee and newspaper. I rolled my eyes. What a lazy arse of a teacher. Two months into school and we were still finding _where we were at?_

"I'll grab the ingredients," said Parkinson, marching off after Malfoy and Amy Smith, leaving me in this dark corner with Zabini right behind me and Arthur in front of me. I expected Zabini to take advantage of the situation, but he didn't. The most that happened was, right before Parkinson sat down, I turned to look if he was even there and he gave me a small smile before looking away again. This guy was just too much.

"Okay, I'll add the powdered moonstone," I said stifly after about five minutes of silence. That was the way we spoke. I tried as much as possible to avoid conversation with her, however much I enjoyed annoying her.

"Very nice, Miss Parkinson, Miss Robins," Slughorn commented on our pale concoction, his belly preceding him. "Students, this is what your potion should look like. If it does not, I've not a clue how you received your OWL and are standing in my class right now." A lot of annoyed mumbles were heard, but he, naturally, ignored them.

"Pansy, how did you make yours so good?" Smith asked from behind us. I stiffened and sincerely hoped she wouldn't say anything.

"Amy, why don't we concentrate on _ours_? They obviously just followed the instructions," Zabini said calmly, gaining rapid agreement from the annoying girl. Parkinson took this as an oppurtunity to glare at me fiercely. I just offered her a spoon of our unfinished potion, proposing some peace between us. She didn't laugh.

X

It had been two weeks since I overheard that conversation in the Three Broomsticks. Zabini was still in the polite stages, though instead of every once in a while leaving me a daisy, he left me roses. But the major difference was that everyone knew it was him now. Not just the girls that sat around me, but the whole school. On that particular Sunday morning, after receiving my rose and note, I headed to the library, smiling bashfully (all planned, by the way) at Zabini as I left the Great Hall. I'd only been walking for a few minutes when I heard the patter of running footsteps behing me. I turned my head to see Ginny Weasley hurtling herself in my direction.

"Georgiana! Hey!" she said, not even panting. How did this girl stay in shape?

"Hi, Ginny. What brings you here at such speed?" I asked as we continued walking to the library.

"I just remembered that I wanted to talk to you as you were leaving. I just wanted to check how you're doing? Have the Slytherin boys laid off of you yet?" she inquired, semi-seriously. I laughed.

"No, no. Well yes on the _boys_. It's just Zabini right now. But I'll let you in on a little secret," I said after verifying that no one was around.

"What is it?"

"He's playing me. Him and Malfoy have some kind of bet going, I'm not sure, really. So I'm playing him back," I explained. She looked mildly surprised.

"Let me guess, you're going to break up with him in some highly embarassing fashion?" she guessed. I couldn't contain my grin.

"Yes, I thought it was a great idea."

"Well, good for you. I'm glad someone is taking a stand against that revolting scum," said Ginny. "You know he asked me out once?" I shook my head. "I kneed him in his _special_ area."

"Whoa, I didn't know you had it in you!" I exclaimed happily as we entered our destination.

"Um, do you mind if I study with you? My friends and I are kind of _miffed_ at the moment and I can't stand studying alone. I just fall asleep."

"Sure, no problem, I guess." I wasn't used to having people around me at all, but maybe I could have fun for once. We settled at my usual, not-so-secluded table. And while I had promised myself I wouldn't, I asked her the question I'd had on the tip of my tongue. "What happened with you and your friends?"

"Oh, that." Her face fell slightly, but only for a moment. "Well, they kind of disagree with my dating preferences."

"You're joking. What a dumb thing to be mad about."

"I know. It's just, they can't really fathom why I would turn down Harry. But it's my choice, you know? I liked him when I was younger, and I outgrew it. He's still my friend, but I don't want to date him," she said.

"Well, well, the little Weasel has rejected the Chosen One? Who thought we'd see the day?"

"Malfoy, get the bloody hell out of here before I prevent you from ever having children," Ginny spat through gritted teeth. But he only laughed in her face before sitting down, highly unwelcomed, mind you, at our table.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Blaise is too busy picking out which poem to read you, so I wanted to annoy you a bit," was his annoying reply. I chucked my quill at him. "I was _joking_, PMS central. I actually came to deliver this to you." He produced a small envelope that he placed on the table, before sauntering away.

"I cannot stand Draco Malfoy."

"Join the club, I'm the president," I replied, opening my envelope. "_Please meet me at the top of the Astronomy Tower at midnight,_" I read aloud.

"Are you going to go?" my red-haired acquaintence asked while scratching her nose with her quill. I shrugged.

"Probably. The thing I have to work on, though, is getting him to fall for me." I sighed. That was highly unlikely. "You've had a fair amount of boyfriends, any ideas?"

"Well, there are some things I can suggest based on what I know about Zabini. He's used to girls - no matter how different their personalities - who respond the same way to his advances. They give in, right?" she said.

"Yeah, but I'm already resisting him," I said.

"I know that. But I'm just talking about small things. Like if he says you look beautiful, brush him off as if you don't care-"

"But I _won't_ care," I argued.

"Georgiana, I don't want to be rude, but have you ever dated someone like Blaise?" asked Ginny. I didn't know how to answer that. I blushed lightly and looked away. "Have you ever dated... anyone?"

"Is this really relevent?"

"Yes. If you don't know what to expect, you're going to give in. He's _very_ good at what he does. I think he's shagged almost every girl in the school sixth year and above, I'm not even joking. Some of my friends are included in that. I won't lie, he's good looking and incredibly smooth. You could go in with your mind set, but your foundation could crumble as soon as he says some sweet thing," said Ginny. I was shocked. She was very passionate about this subject, and I realized that by going through with this, I was doing the female population a favour. And she was here because she wanted to help me bring him down.

"What's your vested interest in Zabini personally?" I wasn't sure there was one, but thought I should ask anyways..

"Nothing, I just dated a guy like him once." I didn't press the matter. "Okay, so let's plan some Zabini-break-down tactics."

**Blaise Zabini POV**

I was sitting on the only part of the roof I could access smoking. I wasn't really a smoker, but I did it when I was stressed about something. However much I didn't care for Georgiana Robins, I had no desire to have anything bad happen to her. It was at times like this in my life when I was very glad I was born male. Girls were too emotional for their own good. They always needed to be _loved_ and _cared for_. They wanted to be _happy_ - didn't they know that nobody ever ends up bloody happy? If they weren't so gorgeous (not to mention the only thing to satisfy certain cravings), I'd say we were better off without them.

Ten minutes before midnight, I crawled back inside and quietly made my way up to the tower. No one but me would guess this was set up for a date. Despite the fact that she had not replied to me, I was positive she would show. Everyone falls for charm and good looks at some point.

"Why, pray tell, would you want to meet me here?" her voice rang. I turned around a quickly took in her appearance, and I must admit I was mildly surprised. Her hair was messy, her uniform crumpled, and she wasn't wearing any make-up. I knew her well enough to know she didn't just come from a quick shag, and had probably fallen asleep.

"Come here," I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the window.

"Wha-?"

"Just look," I urged her, pushing her forward. When I heard her gasp, I knew my effect was as intended.

"I've never seen a meteor shower before," she said. I'd thought as much. But she caught me completely off guard next. "I love astronomy." She turned toward me and I saw her eyes tearing up, right before she pushed passed me and ran down the stairs.

"Bloody hell," I muttered under my breath before running after her. "Georgiana, wait!" I whisper-yelled. Why on earth was she crying? She was supposed to _swoon_, not _split_.

"Can you just leave me alone?" she said when I finally found her collapsed in an abandoned corridor. At least she wasn't crying. I crouched down beside her and strategically tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She smiled faintly, though not in my direction.

"Good night," I whispered into her ear before turning toward my common room. I was only a few minutes away when I heard her footsteps fading in the other direction.

Draco, of course, was waiting for me in the common room, a letter in his hand.

"So?" was all he said.

"Relax, she's warming up just fine." Maybe that wasn't totally true, but it was close.

"Well, there's a Hogsmeade weekend the first week of December and you'd better be taking her, because if _he's_ there, and she's alone, you don't have a chance." He crumpled up the parchment and threw it in the fire.

"Yes, I know that. You don't have to remind me. Don't you have some girl waiting in your bed?" I asked him, pulling a bottle of Firewhiskey from our hiding place under the couch. He grinned.

"Are you jealous? You need to get some, my friend. Celibacy was not part of the deal," he said, grabbing the bottle and taking a swig. "See you in the morning."

I collapsed into my chair and could find nothing to do but drink.


	5. Chapter 5

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"Every good thing that comes is accompanied by trouble." - Maxwell Perkins

**Georgiana Robins POV**

It had been nearly two weeks since I met Zabini in the Astronomy Tower. I was almost unable to face him without being overcome with embarassment, but I did a damn good job of hiding it. He had started attempting to walk me to class - and he sometimes succeeded - but Ginny, who I guess had become a friend of sorts, usually caught me first, and he would leave us be.

"Robins," I heard a whisper over my shoulder. We were watching a slide show in Potions and I had been dozing, but I whipped around immediately. I was slightly taken aback by the use of my last name, which I had been gotten un-used to in the past few weeks.

"What?" I replied, also in a whisper, to Zabini, the culprit. I was having a very nice dream.

"Can I borrow a bottle of ink?" he asked. I wordlessly passed the small bottle behind me, forgetting to ask why on earth he would need ink during this incredibly boring presentation on the properties of potentially poisonous ingredients. I wasn't quite sure where my get-him-to-fall-for-me scheme was at, but I was about to find out. I had just discovered why he needed ink.

_Meet me outside your common room at 8 o'clock tonight,_ said my note.

**Now why would I do that?** I answered.

_Please?_

**If you promise to help me with my Arithmancy homework.** That was the first thing I could think of, though it was pretty dumb, because in all honesty, I rocked in Arithmancy.

_Of course. We can go to the library after._

**After what?**

But he didn't answer me. When I turned in my seat to give him a questioning look, his obnoxious smirk was directed at the old screen. I gave him a glare which I'm sure he couldn't see and then faced forward again, resting my chin on my hand. It was weird how accustomed I had become to the attentions of the beautiful boy. Sometimes I was almost happy with our dysfunctional relationship until I remembered that neither of us were sincere.

When the bell finally rang and Slughorn lit up the room again, my slow-adjusting eyes caused me to stumble out of my seat. I tripped over someones foot and fell face first onto the cold, stone ground. Besides the amount of pain I was in, everyone was laughing at me. I turned at sat on my butt, gathering the scattered contents of my bag. To no surprise at all, Zabini was there in a second, pulling me up and giving me my now neatly piled books.

"Thanks," I said, barely meaning it. He followed just a foot behind me, and I was surprised to see he looked at a loss for words. I sort of hoped he wouldn't think of anything, but I had no such luck.

"So, how's your family?" he asked. I gave him a disbelieving look. He was really asking about my family?

"I wouldn't know. I suppose Malfoy, or Pucey, would be a better source of that information," I replied.

"Why is that?"

"Because my parents spend all of their time in 'society life', which apparently makes them too busy to ever write to us. Malfoy and Pucey get letters from home all the time, I think." My bitterness toward my parents was not very well concealed by that statement, and he noticed.

"You sound resentul about it. I thought you didn't care for them much anyways," he said.

"Maybe that's true, but they're still my parents. And I'm a bit tired of attending stupid balls and parties every second that I'm not at school. They're such a waste of time," I said. He stopped walking, and I subconsciously stopped to. "What?"

"If you never came to all of those 'stupid balls' I'd never get to see you in a dress! What a deprivation to the male population!" I hit him in the arm with my bag.

"You never seemed to care before," I said, not hiding my suspicion. But his smile did not falter. That same smile that could melt me in my shoes if I wasn't careful.

"Sometimes it takes a while to see what's been in front of your eyes the whole time." It pained me that I couldn't believe a word that was coming out of his mouth. That thought reminded me of why I was standing with him right then. So I turned back to face him and kissed him on the cheek.

"That's really sweet," I lied. And I let him walk beside me in silence all the way to Charms. I only realized when we were outside the door that we had this class with the Slytherins as well. Based on what had just happened, I decided not to object when Zabini sat beside me. Flitwick wouldn't care, or even notice, really. It was a good opportunity for me to get some information out of him. "So, Zabini," I began, after Flitwick handed out written assignments.

"Can you call me Blaise? I really hate hearing my last name so much. It makes me think of zucchini," said Zabini. It was very hard to not laugh at his gorgeous, pouting face.

"No, I don't think so, _Zabini._ As I was going to say, how many girlfriends have you had?" I asked, grinning slightly evilly. But Mr Smooth kept his smile up.

"Ooh, I don't thnk you want me to answer that question," he said, beginning on his paper.

"Sometimes no answer is the worst answer of all," I laughed. Of course he wouldn't want to brag to me about his many conquests.

"And sometimes some things are better left unsaid," he answered. "What about you?"

"I thought you and Malfoy did all your research on me. Or was that his own personal mission?" He actually looked slightly confused at my statement.

"I don't know about him, but I only know what I know from asking who I know."

"And who, pray tell, are those people?"

"Your brother." This time he was grinning evilly and _I_ was looking confused. "And, unfortunately for me, he's not a very good source on your past relationships. But he did mention someone..." I froze.

"Who did he mention?" My little brother was as good as dead as soon as I got out of this class room.

"Bartleby Cross? Does that ring a bell? I think he said something about marriage, but I don't quite recall," he said. I could tell that he was enjoying every minute of this humiliating conversation. I wish I could've melted into my seat.

"I don't know who that is. He must've confused me with someone else." I was now very determined to do my school work. And while Zabini spoke no more, I could practically _feel_ the cocky grin on his face. We sat like that for the rest of the hour, and then I hurried to get out of the class.

"Miss Robins, please stay behind for a moment," Flitwick called over the other students. It took me a second to register what he had said before I turned back. I couldn't be in trouble for anything. My grades were maintaining an E average. What could he want to speak to me for.

"What is it, professor?" I asked once the room had emptied.

"I'm afraid I received some terrible news, and it is my unfortunate duty as your head of house to inform you of such." My knuckles were white from gripping the arms of my chair. "There's been an accident, and your father is in the hospital. This," he pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table, "is from your mother. You must go pack your trunk, as your mother has requested you and your brother spend the weekend at home. Professor Snape will be speaking to Simon. The Knight Bus will take you there this evening." I nodded absently at him and opened my letter. I read it while walking out of the class room.

_Dearest Georgiana,_

_Your father has suffered a terrible accident which I will not disclose here for fear of this being intercepted and his reputation ruined. He is not conscious, but the best Healers in St Mungo's are attending to him, and I have scarcely left his side. Lucius and Narcissa - being the gracious friends that they are - were informed by myself and spent last night with us giving their greatest sympathy. Poor Narcissa is very shaken by the terrible occasion and has written to Draco informing him only what I have told you here._

_You and Simon are expected this evening at Malfoy Manor. It is too depressing to stay in our own home, and I have been a guest there for the past few days. Dumbledore has requested I return you both to school by Monday latest, and while it will sadden me to have you both leave me during this time, there is very little else that you will be able to do while here._

_I await your arrival._

_Your loving mother._

I had started crying halfway through, and the tears were still coming. I crumpled the letter in my fist and threw it down the empty corridor. The rest of the school was at lunch, but I had no intention of joining them. I was about to smash my fist at the stone wall, hardly thinking of the fact that I would shatter my bones, when a hand caught mine. I looked up into Zabini's alluring blue eyes and without any further thought, I collapsed against him, crying and shuddering. It was not an hour ago that were talking of my parents and I felt guilty for not loving them more. What if my father didn't pull through? I didn't even know what happened. And besides everything, we were staying at Malfoy Manor! Gracious friends my arse.

I was angry. At my mother for considering my father's _reputation_ at a time like this, at my father for making me cry, at Zabini for _watching_ me cry, but most of all at myself. I was never one to hide my emotions, but I had no one to show them to. The fact that I couldn't keep my composure around Zabini scared me. The fact that I was literally crying in his arms scared me. And the fact that I was about to tell him why I was crying scared me.

"My father, he's in the hospital," I sobbed. He didn't say anything. "My stupid mother didn't tell me why. I'm leaving tonight. We're staying at the Malfoys'." He still remained silent, just letting me babble and cry.

"George?" a weak voice called from behind me. I turned and saw my brother at the end of the hall, clutching Ginny's hand. She must've found him looking for me. I pushed off of Zabini and ran toward Simon. He looked pale and scared, but he wasn't crying. He never cried. "What did mum say?" he asked. I sniffed a bit and wiped the tears from my face.

"Nothing useful, but we'll see when we get there." I hugged him tightly for a second. "Go pack your stuff. I'll come get you when it's time to go." He nodded and quickly walked away. I sighed deeply and looked at Ginny's sympathetic face.

"I'm okay," I said, directing it toward all three of us. I wasn't convinced, and I don't think they were either.

"I'll come help you pack," Ginny offered. I agreed and we left Zabini standing there. When we arrived at the entrance to Ravenclaw, I answered my question and Ginny followed me to my dormitory.

"You know, I don't have any happy memories of my mother. My whole childhood, she was always telling me to fix my clothes, sit up straighter, or something like that," I said, after a good ten minutes of silence. I didn't look up as I folded my clothes, but I knew Ginny looked at me. "But my father is a different story. He taught me to control my magic, to fly a broom, even to read. If I ever lost him, I don't know what I'd do." My voice had gone incredibly quiet and I felt tears rush to my eyes.

"George, he's not going anywhere. I'm sure it'll be fine. Just go see him and you'll see," she said encouragingly. The confidence in her voice was enough for me to brighten up a bit. After I was done packing, we dragged my trunk to the common room and sat down on the couch. We talked for a while, I even laughed a few times, until I checked my watch at five.

"I'm going to grab Simon. I'll write to you when I find out what happened," I promised as we said our goodbyes. When I arrived outside the Slytherin common room entrance, I realized I had no idea how I was going to get in. "Simon?" I called loudly. Nothing happened. I felt really stupid standing there in my cloak with my trunk, but I sighed with relief when a student came by to go in.

"Can I help you?" asked the burly girl. She looked like a relative of Millicent Bulstrode.

"Er, yes. Could you please ask Simon Robins to come out? He's a First Year, he has blonde hair-"

"Robins!" she yelled into the common room. I heard footsteps and a dragging noise, and then my tiny brother appeared next to the giant gorilla. The girl left almost immediately.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"No, we have to wait for someone," he replied.

"Who? Does Snape want to send his insincere condolences?" I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the possibility.

"Not quite, Miss Robins." I stiffened, almost too scared to turn around. Snape was standing right behind me I was sure. I figured it best to let him say what he wanted before replying. "Mr Malfoy will be accompanying you both." And then he swooped away like te overgrown bat he was. I didn't even turn to look at Malfoy before I started walking at top speed toward the Entrance Hall.

We walked in silence to Hogsmeade. I seriously considered giving Malfoy an earful before I remembered my letter and realized Narcissa had probably written to him. And either Simon could feel the tense air between us or he was really upset about my father, because he was never one to be silent.

"I'll get the bus," Malfoy informed us. I didn't say anything. He flung out his wand arm and the huge purple bus appeared. "We're going to Malfoy Manor," he told Stan Shunpike who replied that the only seats left were on the third level. We paid him and seated ourselves.

I was perfectly content to spend the rest of the journey in silence but as soon as Simon fell asleep, Malfoy thought it was time to speak to me.

"I'm not here to bother you," he said. I only looked at him and nodded. "My mother wrote to me and told me what happened, and asked Dumbledore if I could come. We're going to be spending a lot of time together this weekend, so it would be nice if you spoke to me." He sounded very exasperated and I smiled to myself.

"This reminds me of the Christmas Ball two years ago," I said. If I was going to speak to him, I might as well have tried to make myself feel better. "When my parents got so smashed that we had to stay the night."

"And my dad started singing 'I'm a Little Tea Pot'?" he said, smiling. Draco Malfoy actually had a nice smile when it was sincere.

"Yeah, and Crabbe and Goyle got drunk for the first time and made out with eachother." He laughed at that. Somehow, that environment of all us purebloods together was different than anything I'd ever experienced and when the mood lightened at them, I actually enjoyed myself.

"I never let them forget it either. Do you remember the first ball where _you_ got drunk?" he asked, smile turned smirk. I did recall it very well. When I said that time Malfoy kissed me was my first kiss, technically it was my first _sober_ kiss. But he wasn't lying when he said he was my first.

"Please don't remind me."

"I think we were in Fourth Year. And you were piss drunk, completely shit-faced."

"And I asked you to show me where the bathroom was, as if I didn't know. That's about all I remember, except-"

"Shoving your tongue down my throat?" he chuckled. I could've died from embarassment right there. I guess a rule for us could've been what happens at those parties _stays_ at those parties. I'd never told a soul about that, and I didn't think he had any reason to either.

"I think you took advantage of me," I said, attempting to bury my face in my hands. He laughed again. Now that my mind was on the subject, Malfoy had always been perfectly civil to me outside of school. Now that I _really_ thought of it, Zabini was always the one making fun of my clothes or my hair or my lack of friends. Of all of the witches and wizards I'd grown up with, he'd given me the hardest time. "Why didn't you ever take part in your friends' favourite pastime of poking fun at me?"

"I had no reason to. And besides, I would've been murdered by my parents - I think your parents are some of the only people mine call friends," he said matter-of-factly.

"Kind of like me and Clare Waverly," I said. His expression changed to something unreadable.

"So, what's the deal between you and the brother?" he asked, I guessed trying to sound casual. I stiffened at this. I'd probably always harboured a soft spot for Stephen. He was the only guy who was always nice to me. But there was nothing _there_.

"No deal. He's Darcy's best friend. I've known him since I was a little kid." Malfoy appeared to relax at this statement. Weird. "So what's with the drop in interest?"

"Of what?"

"Your interest in me."

"Oh. Well, in case it's not totally obvious, my best friend is trying very hard to get you to notice him. As the Americans say, 'bro's over ho's," he replied, imitating an American accent.

"It's almost impossible to not notice Blaise Zabini, if you know what I mean," I said awkwardly, blushing furiously. I think this thing with my father sent me in an emotional spin, because I was acting very out of character.

"So I've heard. I'm guessing he's been unsuccessful?"

"Like you wouldn't know."

"Who knows? Maybe you made him promise not to tell anyone," he suggested. I rolled my eyes. I wanted very badly to tell him I knew what they were up to, but I held my tongue. These two were so believable that I couldn't believe it.

**Blaise Zabini POV**

Draco was sitting in the common room when I returned, after being abandoned by Georgiana and her new follower, with the letter from his mother. He'd gotten his this morning and I was biding my time before I had to go pick up her pieces. He looked to be in deep thought.

"You're not actually going to go, are you?" I asked, reading his thoughts.

"One of us has to! And how weird would it be if _you_ showed up?" I took a second to sink in what he said. I had immediately assumed that I would go, and I didn't know why. "I'm leaving in a few hours, I'll probably be back Monday."

"Yeah, okay," I said. I was almost excited. I had that feeling in my stomache. I wouldn't have to wait on Georgiana twenty-four-seven, and Draco wouldn't be here to be the pain in my arse.

I skipped the rest of the afternoon of classes to hang out with Draco. Then I heard Ingrid Hepburn call Georgiana's brother and I knew Draco was about to go. Simon came to me just before he left.

"Bye, Blaise," he said. I gave him props. I knew all of the other kids thought he was cool because I spoke to him. "I'll tell you if anything happens."

"Good boy," I said, ruffling his hair.

"Blaise, do me a favour?" Draco's goodbye was a little different, but anything else wouldn't be coming from him. I looked up at him. "Shag something while I'm gone."

"Yeah, yeah. Get the fuck out of here now." I waited until I couldn't hear footsteps anymore before I allowed myself feeling again. I think I might've confused that excitement with dread. A whole weekend without Draco, might as well have been locked in the library. But Georgiana I could live without. I'd just have to break some habits, which wasn't working out too well as I headed toward the Ravenclaw Common Room before dinner.

"Already miss her?" a sarcastic voice said right after I'd turned around. Scowling before me, I won't lie, looking gorgeous, was Ginny Weasley.

"Is that not normal?" I asked. I gave her a smile, but of course it didn't work.

"I know what you two are up to. So don't pretend you care," she spat. I was just going to scare her. Just a little bit. I walked up to her, real close.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand. Someone could get hurt here," I whispered into her ear. She, however, continued to scowl at me.

"I don't know why you guys don't just get your fun and games out of girls who _want_ you, but Georgiana's father is in the hospital, and this is not the time to fuck with her heart," said Ginny. Girls were too righteous for my liking.

"What makes you think I'm fucking with anything?" I asked.

"I heard you and Malfoy at the Three Broomsticks. I don't know what the stakes are, but I know that if you make her cry, I will personally ensure the Zabini family name stops with you." She looked bloody serious. I tried to remember what we were talking about that would give anything away.

"What is it that you think you heard?"

"I heard you planning between you and Malfoy who was going to get her. I thought it would have been better if it was Malfoy, but she's better than I thought. This must be horrible for you; you have two girls who've turned you down. If you want a third, I know who else you can go to." That was like rubbing salt in the wound.

"Do you want to know why I'm trying to get a date with her?" I said finally, after thinking about the best way to lie.

"Yes."

"Because _I_ actually like her. But how do you think everyone would've reacted?" I replied, trying to sound as passionate as possible. "I've known Georgiana since I was three. It's not hard to fall for someone after fourteen years. So Draco thought that if we pretended there was some bet between us, no one would question it. Pansy doesn't even know." She looked as if she was going over in her head what I'd said many times over. Her features finally softened.

"I'll believe you now. But if I find out you're lying, I'll keep my previous promise," she said, before walking toward the Great Hall.

I stood there for a bit trying to figure out what this weird feeling was. Did I feel bad for lying to the Weasley?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Maybe I'm a really bad authoress because I never do this... but thank you to all of my reviewers! I appreciate it a lot! I think it's going a bit OOC now, but anyways... Here's the next chapter.**

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right, and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort." - Albus Dumbledore, from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

**Georgiana Robins POV**

The second we arrived at the manor, I ran up to my mother and demanded she take us to St Mungo's, but she would hear nothing of it. She insisted that she was too fragile and that I should rest. Malfoy seemed to notice that I was not a force to be reckoned with on this and offered to take me and Simon.

"That's very nice of you, Draco, but Georgiana is tired, and should really be-"

"_Mother_, my father is in the hospital with I-don't-know-what, the only thing I should really be doing is seeing him!" I couldn't take it anymore. "Simon and I will go with Malfoy, and I'm _not_ changing my mind!" My mother looked slightly taken aback. My cheeks had flushed with anger and I was shaking.

"Alright, alright!" she said, shaking her head at me. "Draco, I'd like to speak to you before you leave. Georgiana, take Simon outside. You can travel by Side-Along Apparation."

I sighed with relief and grabbed my brother. It was chilly on the porch, and I could see my breath.

"Do you think dad's okay?" Simon asked me. I looked down at him and for the first time saw the terror in his eyes.

"Yes, I think he's fine. He'd never leave us to live with our nutty mother," I replied, atempting to put a smile on his face.

"Okay, let's go," Malfoy said as soon as the door shut behind him. I jumped at the sudden noise, but gathered myself quickly. "We're going to Apparate right in front of the building." I nodded, and with two 'cracks', we disappeared.

We all apeared within two seconds of eachother, unnoticed by the swarms of muggles crowding the street. We quickly entered the department store-front and Malfoy walked up to the Welcome Witch and had an inaudible conversation.

"Come on, he's on the third floor," he informed us, leading us up the stairs.

When we got to my father's room, I stopped at the doorway. Simon went in first, but when he saw him lying there, pale and unconscious, he came back to me.

"Can we leave now?" he asked. His sadness was radiating off of him in waves.

"I'm going to stay for a bit. But you can go to the tearoom with Draco, okay?" I told him. He agreed and they left me standing there in the doorway. I took a deep breath and walked over to him.

"Are you family, Miss?" a Healer asked me as she walked in and immediately starting checking his medical chart.

"Yes, I'm his daughter." She smiled sadly at me. "Can you tell me what happened to him?"

"He was poisoned. We're not sure with what, but it has a similar effect to the Draught of Living Death. We should find out by tomorrow morning and we will owl your mother." After checking a few more things, she left me there alone. I reached out for his hand.

"Hey, dad. It's me, Georgiana. I don't know how long you've been out, but please come back to us soon. I don't know if mum's fragile person can take all of this sadness," I tried to joke, but I started crying all the same. It was when I leaned on his bed that I noticed something strange about his positioning. He was pushed right up to the wall on his left side and the blanket was completely wrapped around his arm. I was scared that he had some gruesome injury, but another thought gnawed at the back of my mind. I slowly reached over and untucked the blanket. I breathed in before lifting it up.

"Georgiana?" Malfoy's voice called from the doorway. I turned to him, horror written all over my face. "What are you doing?" I had turned back, but I could hear his footsteps rushing across the room. I ripped the blanket away and I must've started screaming, because Malfoy's hand was covering my mouth. There on my father, my _father's_ arm was the Dark Mark. I heard Malfoy attempting to sooth me, but everything went black as I slipped away from consciousness, just like my father.

x

When I woke up, I was in a large, soft bed. I was in my pajamas and there was light flooding in through a nearby window. I turned my head slightly and saw my mother sitting on a chair beside me.

"I _told_ you it wasn't a good idea to go so soon! You must have been famished! My dear, you must listen to your mother for the future."

"What happened?" I rasped. I needed some water. Mother noticed this and passed me a glass, which I chugged mercilessly.

"Draco said you walked in and saw your father lying there, and then collapsed on the floor." The actual events of last night then flooded into my memory. _Dark Mark... Death Eater... My Father..._ We both looked up at a knock on the door. It was Malfoy himself. "Oh, Georgiana, I suppose you want to thank Draco for carrying you home so quickly, and taking care of your brother. I'll see you both at lunch." It wasn't a request; it was an order. I rolled my eyes as she walked away.

"Why did you lie to her?" I asked without making eye contact. "She must know, I'm sure she's seen him naked." The sarcasm in my voice was evident.

"She does know. But she never wanted you to find out," he said, now towering over me at my bedside.

"Why in bloody hell did _you_ know, then? I'm his daughter, you're, what, his godson?" I was angrier than I understood. I couldn't believe that my father was a Death Eater. I guess that confirmed all suspicions that Lucius Malfoy was as well.

"Because he loves you. He doesn't want this life for _you_. Or Simon." I was almost scared to ask my next question.

"What about Darcy?" He immediately averted his gaze at the name of my brother. "Oh my god. How could this have happened? He's only nineteen! When did all of this happen? _Why_ my family? If they support You-Know-Who wouldn't they raise their children to do the same?"

"I don't know. I really don't. All I know is that your father's 'accident' was not an accident at all. And it was in no way disrelated to the brand on his arm," said Malfoy. I'd figured as much by now. "Now that you know, I guess I _should_ explain something else."

"And what might that be?" My mind was overflowing with information. I was remembering things in the past that proved this to be correct. Excuses from my father, reasons why Darcy wasn't home, my mother lying to me all the time.

"I can't tell you everything without your father's permission, but when I showed you that picture from the Summer Ball, I wasn't lying when I said you caught some attention. You put yourself in a lot of danger at the ball. Your father asked me if I could just keep an eye on you while we were at school, just to make sure no weirdos approached you. It's no big deal; you don't have to be worried at all." I dropped my jaw at what he said.

"Does Zabini have anything to do with this?"

"Nothing. He doesn't know anything." I wanted to believe him, and I think I did only because it was easier than asking for more explanations.

"How much trouble would you get in if someone found out you were following order from my father?"

"A lot." I had just indirectly asked him the other thing that I had been dreading.

"Can I see it?" I found myself asking. He smiled grimly at me and pulled up his left sleeve. I was sitting up in my bed now. The picture of the skull with a snake's tongue was very clear, but not burning black. I now found it very hard to believe that I never suspected it, despite how much I was taught about the Dark Lord and his followers as a child. "Then why put your life on the line for someone you don't care about?"

"I respect your father almost more than my own. And definitely more than another person who I won't mention. He risked his life once to save mine. Even though he failed, I'll never forget that." My questioning look caused him to keep talking. "He tried to keep my out. He saw what happened to Darcy and he didn't want my father to put me through it too. He was almost killed when he was found out." I gasped. "You mean the world to him, and if I can honour him by protecting you, then I will."

"Where's Darcy now?"

"He's on a mission. I can't tell you where because I don't know. The less I tell you, the better, anyway. It means less I have to conceal." I understood what he was talking about - he must have been very good at Occlumency, or there was no way he could've been talking to me right then. "But don't worry about him. He may be young, but he's one of the best at what he does."

"Thank you..." I said, subconsciously grabbing his hand.

"For what?" he asked, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear and curling his own hand around mine.

"Everything." I looked into his dazzling blue eyes. At this awkward second, I wished that I'd been crushing on him since third year and had him chasing me around right now. But I didn't feel the butterflies and heart pounding that I did when I looked into Zabini's eyes. And for that, I hated myself. Draco - yes, I said _Draco_ - smiled and pulled me out of bed with that one hand.

"Get dressed, it's almost time for lunch." And he left the room. I was able to momentarily forget the fear that gripped my entire being.

**Blaise Zabini POV**

I didn't receive any news from Draco until Sunday morning. It was a short letter that Pansy tried to rip from my grasp. We hadn't told her where he was going and she was dying of mystery.

_She knows. I didn't explain everything to her. Aurelius hasn't woken up yet. You're going to have to keep it up a little while longer. We're leaving tonight, hopefully. Though Camilla is insisting she needs her children, we all know they're just her cover for shagging my father. I suggest you meet us around ten in the entrance hall._

_Draco._

I crumpled the letter and threw it into the fire. I didn't know how she found out, but it was very irritating. This unknowing, ignorant, _innocent_ girl was getting herself involved in everything. Was she trying to kill herself?

"Blaise, Snape was asking where you were," I heard Pansy say behind me. "He wants you to go see him in his office.

"Did he say why?" I asked her without looking at her.

"No, just that it's important." I sighed heavily and lifted myself to my feet. I could smell Pansy's heavy purfume, and normally I would have humoured her pathetic attempts at seducing me, but I wasn't in the mood. I walked rather quickly to Snape's office in the dungeons, unsure of why he would want to speak to me.

"Mr Zabini, sit down." I complied. I'd never gotten on as well as Draco with Snape, but we were on okay terms. As far as school was concerned, that is.

"You wanted to see me, professor?" I said, stating the obvious.

"Yes, I'm assuming news of Aurelius has reached your ears," he said. I remained silent. I expected him to say something to me about it. "You might not trust me in these matters, but I assure you that he confided his plans in _me_ before speaking to you or Mr Malfoy. While he is in the hospital, you will be reporting to me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I didn't trust Snape, he was correct. Not as far as I could throw him. But to my complete surprise, he produced a letter.

"Read this, you insolent brat," he said. I took the scraggly piece of parchment.

_Severus,_

_I fear I have been found out. Please do what you can to assist in case of the worst. I owe you infinitely._

_Yours truly,_

_Aurelius D. Robins_

There was no mistaking that signature. But it could have very easily been forged. I wasn't going to do anything until Draco came back. I was going to have to please him somehow, though.

"So?" he said. I kept up my calm demeanor while I plotted what to do.

"Thank you for your help, then, Professor." My answer seemed to satisfy him, as he gave me leave. I really didn't like how this was going. It seemed like so long ago when Aurelius first spoke to us.

_Flashback_

_"Blaise, meet me in the drawing room in five minutes," Aurelius said. Blaise looked confused, but told the man he would be there. On his way, he attempted to find his best friend among the guests crowded into the dining room, but the blonde boy was nowhere to be seen. But he was surprised to see him sitting in the drawing room with Aurelius and his eldest son, Darcy._

_"Zabini," was how Darcy greeted him. He nodded back._

_"Blaise, I'm afraid I must ask your assistance on something," said the older man once Blaise had sat down._

_"What is it?" Blaise was never one to beat around the bush._

_"Before I tell you, I must ask you to do your best to conceal everything I am about to tell you from the Dark Lord, even if you don't agree to help. If you do not think you can do so, please leave now," said Aurelius. Something about the sincere way the man always looked and sounded made Blaise promise he would do everything in his power. "I'm afraid my daughter is in grave danger of being coerced over to our side."_

_"What do you mean by that?" he asked in reply._

_"There is someone assigned by the Dark Lord within our ranks to prospect young witches and wizards, and then convince them to join us. Had I known who that person was before now, they would not have been at this party, I assure you. The Dark Lord, it seems, was already informed of the possibility of Georgiana being a good addition. For how often does he get pretty, young and talented witches? Pureblood, no less?" The pain in his voice was evident as he spoke. "To my greatest displeasure, the person in charge of this mission is very close to our family."_

_"And he used that connection to his advantage," growled Darcy. Draco was listening just as intently as Blaise, which showed him that he was hearing this for the first time as well. "He started coming over to our house a lot this summer. Well, more than usual." Blaise was trying to think who, other than his mother and the Malfoys, was close enough to the Robins' to frequently visit._

_"It's a Waverly, isn't it?" Draco said. Blaise looked up at his friend. The blonde's eyes were full of hatred. He despised every member of that family, but especially one of the three sons._

_"Stephen Waverly," Darcy bit out. Blaise could tell by the way we said the name of his once-best friend how much he cared for his sister. And her future._

_"He is going to try to get her by Christmas, meaning he is probably going to be around Hogwarts. My request is to have her under your watch as much as possible. Both of you," he said to Blaise and Draco. "You would have to be with her often. I'm sure Dumbledore is aware of Stephen's loyalties, but the other teachers may be ignorant and he may get into the castle. I doubt her friends would be enough to protect her."_

_Blaise didn't have the heart to tell Aurelius that his daughter didn't have any friends. But he agreed that any group of seventeen year old girls wouldn't be able to stop a Death Eater. He subconsciously rubbed his left forearm. _

_"The diffficulty," Darcy began, "is that she has no idea what we are, and we would appreciate that it stays that way. The less she knows, the safer she is. So you would have to do it without telling her why."_

_"We could do that," Blaise found himself saying. However little he cared for this girl, he greatly respected her father, and didn't think anyone, let alone another teenager, deserved the life he and Draco were now victim of. Darcy raised an eyebrow at him._

_"Yes, we could. Very easily. Especially if there's both of us. I can't promise I'll be able to restrain myself from kicking that bastard's ass the next time I see him, but I can promise to keep him away from Georgiana," said Draco firmly, looking Aurelius straight in the eye. Blaise vividly recalled watching Aurelius get tortured for openly arguing the Draco became a Death Eater. Blaise had been forced to join after that, and no one was about to stand up for him, though he was pretty sure Aurelius would've done the same for him had his family's life not been on the line. _

_"I wish there was a way for me to show my thanks," said Aurelius. Darcy nodded in agreement, and shook the hands of both boys before announcing he needed to report to the Dark Lord himself for a mission. "After I allowed Darcy to join, I never wanted to see another child be put through the same thing. If I could go back in time and protect both of you the way you are protecting my daughter, I would. If I lose her, I have no reason to live on."_

_"We'll keep her safe," Draco promised. Blaise only put his hand on the man's shoulder before leaving the room with his friend._

_"Looks like our seductive skills will finally be put to some use," Blaise said, exhaling deeply._

_End Flashback_

I would never forget the fear in the eyes of that man as he contemplated his daughter being taken by the Dark Lord. We'd had a Death Eater meeting just before school started and the Dark Lord had made his plans for an unnamed girl very clear. Who would say no to following such a beautiful girl over to his side? A skilled which besides, she was the apple of his eye.

"Blaise, are you coming to dinner?" Pansy asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I realized that I had made my way back to the common room.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," I replied. That was before I felt my arm burn. What a horrible time to call us. I sighed and began to empty my mind, as I had been taught so well to do, as I snuck out of the castle and to Hogsmeade. I'd always been perfectly confident in my ability to hide my true motives, but it was uncommon for a spontaneous meeting and that scared me. What scared me even more was that Georgiana was not at school, and the two men with her were about to leave.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying it! And thank you to my newest reviewer, xoGinevraMalfoyox for the awesome review :) Remember guys, reviews are love!**

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends." - Japanese proverb

**Georgiana Robins POV**

When I woke up on Sunday, I was greeted, once again, by my mother in her finest robes, apparently ready to leave.

"Come, Georgiana, we're going to visit your father. Get dressed. And fix your hair." I glared at her back as she left the room.

After dressing (and brushing my hair, of course), I grabbed my cloak and forgot completely about breakfast before meeting everyone in the entrance of the large manor. It appeared that Lucius and Narcissa would be joining us. Narcissa looked breakable, and pale, as her much taller son appeared to be holding her up. I was thoroughly confused about why she was so upset about this whole thing, and made a note to ask Draco about it later. I soon forgot about this, though, as they did not come with us, and Lucius mentioned some other business he had.

"Good morning," and overly cheery Healer greeted us as our large party entered my father's room. I smiled weakly at her, but I did not leave the doorway as Simon and my mother approached his bedside. I couldn't even look at his face; my eyes were glued to where the blanket was tightly wrapped around his left arm. I felt my jaw clench and fists tighten when a large soft hand slid over my own. I didn't look into Draco's eyes because I was sure I would cry, but I relaxed enough to pull away from him and walk over to the bed.

I was very surprised to see tears forming in the corners of my mother's eyes as she clasped her husband's hand. It was interesting how I never thought that she loved him. I never thought of her loving anyone. I subconsciously reached for her other hand and while she didn't look at me, she tightened her grip.

"Georgiana, please come walk with me. I need some air. Draco, dear, will you stay with Simon?" she asked. I was in no position to decline her and followed her briskly out onto the streets of London.

"How are you, mother?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I know, Georgiana, that you do not think highly of me as your mother. You have resented me since you were old enough to walk. You have disagreed with the way I have tried to bring you into society. You've hated the way I raised your brothers. You cannot stand the way I see things," she said. I wasn't sure where she was going with this, so I let her continue. "But believe you me, I care for your father as you do, and I would have done nothing in raising you that he disagreed with."

"Mother, I-"

"And I am afraid more than anything that your father will never open his eyes. So I am going to ask one thing of you, and I _beg_ you to think about it before you make any rash decisions."

"What do you want me to do?" I asked. The way she was speaking was making me nervous.

"I want you to never return to our home," she replied. I was so shocked that I stopped walking. "You have a fair fortune in your vault at Gringotts, and Narcissa has obligingly agreed to allow you to stay at Malfoy Manor until you find lodgings of your own."

"Mother, if I may. How on earth would removing me from your life help anything?" I found myself asking. "I know that _you_ do not think highly of my abilities in anything, but I assure you, _if_ father is to pass away, which I refuse to believe will happen, who better to take care of you than me? The _Ministry_ has Darcy away on business all the time, and Simon is but eleven. I refuse to leave you alone."

"I asked you to think about what I am asking you. Please, for once in your life, allow something to sit in your mind. I care for you, and I will not be able to support you at all. You will do nothing but despise your life everyday of taking care of me. I want for you to have a better life than I do now. I did not say that you would be out of my life." I looked into the face that so resembled mine for a trace of dishonesty, of selfishness, but for the first time in my life, neither was visible.

"I will think about it. But I will not assume it to be necessary; father _will_ wake up and I won't believe otherwise," I said firmly. And then she did something which I never recall her once doing. She hugged me.

"Whatever happens, we'll be fine," she whispered.

When we re-entered the hospital room, Simon was sitting on a stool next to my father, talking to him. Of course, he was not receiving any answers, but I was glad to see something other than fear on his face. Neither my mother nor I had the heart to pull him away, so we both watched from afar. Draco was sitting beside him, encouraging him to speak and giving him ideas of what else to talk about. A smile graced my lips. I remember vaguely thinking that he would make someone a good father one day.

"Simon, would you like to go for lunch? Or would you rather stay here?" mother asked after a quarter of an hour watching him.

"I'd like to stay a bit longer, mum. Would you like to come speak to dad with me?" he asked innocently. I nearly laughed out loud at the prospect of my mother talking of nonsense with my little brother, but she surprisingly agreed.

"Draco, why don't you and Georgiana go and get us all something to eat?" asked my mother.

"Of course, Mrs Robins," he replied, with all the curtesy of a nobleman. If I didn't know myself better, I would say that I was falling for Draco Malfoy. But I was positive I wasn't.

"I'm guessing you already know what she spoke to me about?"

"I might," he replied with a wry smile. "Did you reject it immediately?"

"Why do you automatically assume that?" I asked.

"Your mother assured me that you would."

"What else do you speak about with my mother? And how often do such conversations take place?" I didn't feel as disturbed by this thought as I might have.

"We only speak when something is going to change. But she often mentions memories from your childhood. Your mother speaks very fondly of you, you know," he said, almost as if he was trying to make me feel bad. I remained silent. "I hope you understood why she doesn't want you to go back."

"Yes, she told me. I just can't even think with my father not waking up." I felt a few tears come to my eyes. "It's too hard."

"The Healer owled your mother this morning. The only reason that is a fear is they have been unable to identify the poison. They have only been able to confirm, however, that it was mixed with the Draught of Living Death, and the poison has rendered the antidote ineffective. We can only assume it was mixed to ensure he could not wake up and tell us what happened," he explained.

"Do you think we'll still be friends when we get back to school?" I asked tentatively. I wasn't one hundred percent sure why I was asking, but I knew in case anything happened, I would need someone to talk to. And I highly doubted I would be allowed to tell Ginny what happened. I'd owled her the day before and told her that he'd accidentally drank a potion that turned to poison when mixed with alcohol, and that they expected a full recovery soon.

"I don't see why not," he replied. I could feel him smiling, though I wasn't looking at him.

"I've gotten so used to always being alone. It's getting tiring," I sighed as we walked into a nearby Muggle sandwich shop.

"Why, though? I don't understand why you went out of your way to ensure you had no friends. You aren't a horrible person or anything," he stated bluntly.

"I thought you had me all figured out," I replied stubbornly. He rolled his eyes at me. "Alright, you were right. In first and second year, I associated with other people a bit. My best friend was Clare Waverly and she stabbed me in the back."

"You don't want to elaborate?"

"Nope." That was all he needed to know. We grabbed the food and walked bak onto the street.

"George, you can't hold everyone in a bad light because bitch of the century was a bad friend," said Draco, almost sounding scolding. I stopped walking.

"You just called me George."

"And?"

"I don't know. I was just surprised, I guess. We've been friends for a whole seven minutes." He laughed out loud at that. I frowned. "What?"

"I've known you my _entire life_. After spending so much time around everyone calling you that, it's usually the first thing I think of when I think of you. It's more forced to call you _Georgiana_ or _Robins_." This time I laughed. I never really thought of how long we'd been acquainted, however forced it may have been.

"Okay, so I really didn't want to ask you this, but I can't get it out of my head." I thought my lying was pretty good. "What's the deal with Zabini?"

"What do you mean 'what's the deal'? Usually how it goes in life is a guy likes a girl, so he asks her out on a date. And usually when the guy looks like Blaise, they say yes," he said, speaking very slowly. I rolled my eyes. We were now back at Purge & Dowse, Ltd, aka St Mungo's.

"I apologise for not being interested in a seventeen year-old whose bedded more girls than my dad," I replied.

"I guess there are some other things daddy never told you," he muttered under his breath. But I heard him. I chose to ignore it for now. I'd pester him when my mother wasn't around. My mother and Simon were standing outside the room when we got to the Third Floor. They explained a Healer needed to see him. We gave them their food and agreed that it would be best if we left.

"I just want to see him once more before we leave. You guys go wait downstairs," I said.

"Georgiana, dear, I think we should stay with you. The last time-"

"You were right, mum, last time I was very tired and hungry. I'll be just fine. I'm only three floors above you." She finally consented and disappeared down the stairs after my brother. Draco looked a little indecisive about staying. "Please, just go." He finally left, looking over his shoulder several times in the process.

"Miss, you may go in now," the same cheery Healer from before informed me. I slowly walked into the room.

"Dad, I don't know if you can hear me, but please listen anyways. I really need you to wake up. I know there are some things happening that you don't want me to know, and I promise if you open your eyes, I'll never let anything bad happen to me." I was squeezing his hand so tightly. Tears stung at my eyes. "Please." I whispered.

"Hey," someone whispered from the doorway. I wiped my eyes and turned my head.

"Stephen! What are you doing here?" I was so glad to see him that I forget I was still clinging to my father.

"I just found out he was here from Darcy. I felt obligated to come see him, but now I'm not sure I can take it." He looked away from me and let out a bitter chuckle. "You probably think I'm a wimp, crying in the hospital like a woman."

"Oh, no! Not at all. At least you aren't afraid to show your feelings. I think it's sweet. If it makes you feel better, I'm crying too," I laughed. Right then, I felt a squeeze on my hand, the one that was holding my father's. I gasped and looked at his face, but his eyes were still close.

"What is it? What happened?" asked Stephen, taking a step into the room.

"I felt him squeeze my hand!" I exclaimed. I was excited and afraid at the same time.

"Oh, Georgiana, you probably wanted to feel it so bad," he said, now hugging me. I frowned at that. What was that supposed to mean? "You probably imagined it." I didn't say anything, but I couldn't believe he was saying that! I most definitely did not imagine it. "How about I take you for a walk? Some fresh air is just what you need." I didn't even realize I was moving until I was halfway down the corridor. But this was an unfamiliar part.

"Georgiana! There you are. Your mother's been worried sick." I don't know why I was so relieved to hear Draco.

"Oh, yeah. Stephen was just bringing me downstairs." I took my hand from his and walked back toward Draco.

"Taking that shortcut, Stephen?" Draco asked. He looked so serious; his jaw was clenched and he wasn't blinking.

"No, I must've turned the wrong way." He looked momentarily uncomfortable, but just smiled. "See you around, Georgiana." I waved at him. Before I knew it, Draco was yanking me down the stairs. I didn't understand why he was so upset.

He didn't say a word to me, even when we arrived at the manor. His parents were there to greet us and he just went straight to his room. I heard his door slam from the foyer. Lucius excused himself shortly after. I, too, retired to my temporary room, which was on the complete other side of the house. I decided it would be good to start packing. We were to leave at around seven.

About an hour later, there was a soft knock at my door.

"Come in!" I called. My back was to the door, but I was pretty sure I knew who it was. And I wasn't disappointed.

"Why was Stephen Waverly at the hospital?" he asked, sitting down on my bed.

"He was visiting my father." I kept my voice cold. It seemed he really didn't like him. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"What did he say to you?" he asked, completely ignoring my question. I sighed in frustration, but didn't reply. "Georgiana, _what did he say to you?_" I was openly shocked. I didn't understand why he was pressing this so much.

"He was going to take me for a walk. He thought I was hallucinating because..." I broke off, scared for the first time that he wouldn't believe me either.

"Because?"

"I felt my father squeeze my hand," I replied quietly. He looked unsure of what to say, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

"And you're sure that's what you felt? It didn't feel like a reflex, or a spasm?"

"No. I'm sure that's what it was. He always does that when he's upset me. I was not imagining it." Draco stood up right away and walked toward the door.

"I'll be back," he threw over his shoulder. I 'urgh'd' and threw the socks I was holding in the air. Then I heard my mother call for dinner downstairs. When I arrived, however, Draco and Lucius were missing.

"Where's Draco?" I asked no one in particular.

"Lucius just took him for a stroll before he goes back to school," Narcissa answered without looking at me. I didn't understand why everyone had to be so confusing.

**Blaise Zabini POV**

When I Apparated to the meeting place, Draco and Lucius were already there. I was a bit nervous that the only man guarding Georgiana and her mother was an eleven year old boy. I left my mother much more secure than that.

Just like all of the Death Eaters before me, I kissed the hem of the Dark Lord's robes and took my place in the circle, between Bellatrix Lestrange (who scared me immensely), and Draco. I filled my head with thoughts of school work and other girls at school. By the look in Draco's eyes, which I could barely see under his hood, I could tell he was doing the same.

"It may come as a surprise to have called you here," the Dark Lord's cold, high voice spoke across the room. "As you can see, our numbers have grown since the last meeting. Credit can go to none other than Waverly. I can almost say I am pleased." Waverly bowed deeply.

"That is my only ambition, my lord," he said. The Dark Lord did not reply.

"However, while we expand, so does the Order of the Phoenix. They have thwarted many of our plans thus far. There is no room for doubts here. If you have something to say against our objectives, speak now!" I fixed my eyes on the man at the front of the room. As always, some stupid person flew into a bow on the floor and praised him. He got annoyed and gave him a shot of pain. "We need to recruit new members, but they need to be skilled! We cannot have three hundred Crabbe's and Goyle's."

"My lord, I have several prospects," Waverly said, keeping his voice smooth in the way that so few of us managed. The Dark Lord flicked his gaze to him, he'd now taken a step into the circle. There was a glint of annoyance I could see, but he allowed Waverly to continue speaking. "My best one goes to school with Zabini and Draco Malfoy. I believe with their help, we can get her the next time she is away from Hogwarts." I felt my whole body tense up, but I didn't let my mind slip for a second.

"I expect her by Christmas, then. Draco, Blaise," he said. "Stephen tells me she is beautiful." It seemed he meant to say that last part to himself, but I could guess pretty easily what he was thinking, and I was utterly disgusted by the thought of him touching her. I didn't notice I had let that go through my mind until I heard '_Crucio!'_ and found myself writhing in pain. I gasped silently before getting rapidly to my feet. I held the Dark Lord's gaze. He did not announce what I had been punished for, which I was glad about. But I was not about to let it happen again.

He said a few other things before calling Draco, Lucius and Waverly into his private chambers. I couldn't help but pace among the other Death Eaters. Draco was a better Occlumens than me, but it was harder to hide the fact that you were hiding something. It's hard to pick out in a group of people, but with just the three of them, it could be hard.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Zabini?" one of the hooded figures said to me. I recognized the voice as Yaxley. I really didn't like him, so I made up some lie about schoolwork that seemed to satisfy him. After about half an hour, Draco finally came out.

"Draco!" I called, signalling him to come over to me. He looked at me and nodded toward the exit. I followed him out. "What the hell was that about?" I asked once we were outside.

"Fucking Waverly, _fucking Waverly!_" was the reply I got. He shoved his hands into his pocket and leaned against the brick building we had just left.

"What happened?" I asked again. He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily.

"He - the Dark Lord - said that I'm responsible for Georgiana now. Waverly said he has to travel to get his other 'prospects.' Waverly put him on it. He convinced him how much better a choice I am because she trusts me and I go to school with her. I don't understand why they want her so bad!"

"I don't understand why you're so upset!" I roared back at him.

"Neither do I!" He was breathing very deeply, I could see his chest rising quickly. "I don't understand it. When Aurelius spoke to us... I thought that I could finally do something to help him." He stopped for a second and looked away from me. "But after the first time I talked to her, I felt like I needed to protect her. Like I needed to be near her."

"You've spoken to her before, mate," I said, trying to sound reassuring.

"No, not really. Maybe when I was nine. She was always _there_, but I never really spoke to her."

"D'you think you-" I began.

"Definitely not. It's not like that. But I'm not going to survive past Christmas, I can tell you that much. He gave me a taste of what kind of pain I'd go through if I failed." For the first time, I noticed the sweat that covered his face and vividly recalled my last 'taste'.

"We're going to figure something out. Did he say anything else?" I asked. His face turned whiter than normal and he clenched his fists one more.

"He told Waverly to finish his other incomplete job." I gave him a confused look. "To finish Aurelius off."

"What are we going to do?" My first thought was go straight to St Mungo's and kick his ass, but we were probably already too late. My earlier conference with Snape just came to mind and I told Draco what he'd said.

"I guess we trust him. Aurelius wouldn't have told him anything if he didn't trust him." I nodded. I was thinking about what a horrible state Georgiana was going to be in when she found out her father was gone for good.

"Do you want to, er, comfort Georgiana?" I asked awkwardly.

"No. I need some space from her." I nodded again. "We should get back to school," he said.

**Georgiana Robins POV**

The weirdest thing happened to me at the dinner table. I was talking to Narcissa and my vision went red and I collapsed. I was in pain everywhere. But however much it hurt, I wanted to get out of this house, so I assured my mother that really bad cramps had just kicked in and she let me go.

But the whole bus ride to Hogsmeade I could only think of two things: What the hell had happened to me at dinner? And where the bloody hell did Draco Malfoy disappear to?

**A/N: Is anyone catching on?!?!?!? I'm so excited! I just can't hide it!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi everbody! Thank you to my loverly reviewers. I love you all! And here is the next chapter...**

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"Cats are known to see within the dark. Yet, if you had sight like a cat, even for one day, would you really want to see what's in the dark?"

**Georgiana Robins POV**

When Simon and I arrived at the school gates, I was surprised to see Draco and Zabini standing in the shadows. Draco came out to stand with me when Snape approached to let us in. I was guessing that they had been waiting for a little while, and that Zabini was not supposed to be outside of the school gates.

"Good evening, Miss Robins. Did you have a pleasant trip?" Snape asked in his slimy voice. I could hear his sarcasm and I didn't respond. He had just ushered us in and was about to shut the gate when he stopped. "Zabini, you might as well come too." He did, but he had the most displeased look on his face I'd ever seen. I gave Draco a suspicious look. Normally, a student caught off school grounds would have been heavily punished, but all he got was an annoyed teacher. Draco didn't even meet my eye.

"Bye, George. I'll see you later." Simon waved at me and then followed Snape, Draco and Zabini to the Slytherin common room.

"Georgiana!" It was Ginny running towards me. She pulled me into a hug. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I had momentarily forgotten about Draco and Zabini. "Did you see Zabini at dinner?"

"Um, no. Why?" she looked a bit confused.

"Oh, no reason," I absently replied. "Listen, I'm really tired. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course. And if you need anything, just let me know." I felt bad for lying to her, but if I stayed I was bound to blab, and somehow, Draco's trust meant something to me.

"Hi, Zabini," I said coolly as I noticed him leaning beside the entrance to my common room.

"Hi." He flashed me a smile that made my insides melt. I was so weak that it was frustrating. "Do you think you could do me the pleasure of taking a walk with me?" I gave him a 'you-must-be-joking' look. "I'm serious." He straightened his face and I think I nodded my head without consenting my neck to do so. I quickly shoved my trunk inside and came back out.

"What do you want?" I asked as we quietly made our way to the grounds. Filch was lurking around somewhere and I didn't feel like being caught doing something that _wasn't_ against the rules. It was only nine o'clock.

"Just to talk with you. Make sure you're okay," he said.

"And you couldn't ask me that in the corridor because?" I challenged him.

"I don't know. You just confuse me." My face fell at the frustration in his voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"For the last four years, you've done nothing but stare at me. Now I'm trying to get you to notice me and you barely glance in my direction! I'm trying - _really_ trying. It's never been an effort to get girls before. But _you_ I just can't seem to understand," he said. I opened my mouth but couldn't say anything. I was blushing at the fact he _knew_ I would watch him. I was in shock about how sincere he sounded. And I was confused about how much I believed him.

"_You're_ confused? What about _me_? The lowly nobody with no friends that suddenly becomes the apple of your eye. You're Blaise bloody Zabini! Most girls would - and did - give everything to have you chasing after them. And you know it! So tell me, what am I supposed to think? I'm a dreamer, believe you me, but I'm not stupid." The words came out kind of like vomit - uncontrollable and unwanted. I calmed slightly at the genuine surprise in his eyes. I had to admit, making someone like him speechless felt pretty good.

"You're one of a kind, you know that?" he said finally, beginning to walk again. I hadn't even realized we stopped.

"I've recently become aware of the fact." I smiled to myself.

"Why can't you give me a chance? Is it because you don't trust me?" he asked, frowning. I couldn't help but feel bad. He looked so innocent, so honest. So unlike what he really was.

"So tell me something about yourself," I said, surprising myself a bit. "Something no one knows."

"I'm really scared of clowns," he whispered with a straight face. I laughed. He didn't. "Your turn." I had to think about this.

"I write a lot," I said, thinking he couldn't do anything with that. But of course, he was who he was.

"What does that mean? What do you write?"

"Stories, poetry. I'm pretty good, I guess. Whatever." I shrugged. It was something I did to get my thoughts out, seeing as how I never spoke to anyone.

"That's cool. I'm not good at anything really," he replied, but he grinned despite himself. "Well, there is _something_ I'm good at..." I rolled my eyes.

"'How can someone who spends all of their time in a world that is not real ever be happy?'" I quoted. He gave me a weird look. "When I was eight I told my mother I wanted to be a writer. That was the reply I got."

"I'm sorry," he said automatically. i just shook my head. But my attention was diverted by a flash of gold. We'd gotten really close to the Forbidden Forest and I didn't actually believe what I was seeing.

**Blaise Zabini POV**

I don't know why I apologized to her, but hearing someone's parent shooting down their dream kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Especially because I knew what it felt like. I was a bit out of it until I felt Georgiana grab my hand.

"Blaise, look!" she said. Her green eyes were so bright with excitement that I felt it without even knowing what we were looking at. She was slowly dragging me forward. And then I saw it. A pure gold unicorn foal was padding its way toward Georgiana's outstretched hand. I was a bit wary of going close to it in case the mother was around, so I dragged back as much as a could with her gripping my hand.

"Hey there," she said, patting its nose. "I'm sorry, I don't have any food to give you, but-" she stopped talking and gasped. Less than twenty feet away was a fully grown, pure white unicorn. And I was no animal expert, but she did not look happy.

"Georgiana, I really think we should go," I said quietly.

"Why? Are you scared of a unicorn?" she asked playfully.

"I don't know how much you know about them, but they're not too fond of people like _me_. They'll be fine with you, of course, because-"

"Because _what_?" She was now turned toward me, looking pretty angry. She was going to make me say it. "Why is it, Zabini, that the purest animal in the world would rather me than you?" I sighed.

"Because I'm not exactly a virgin, and, well, you are." I didn't quite understand her reasoning for being mad at me. She gave a 'hmph' and let go of my hand, which I didn't notice she was still holding, and walked slowly toward the mother unicorn. The foal trotted silently behind her. It seemed she totally distracted the mother from being angry because she was now approaching Georgiana.

"I didn't hurt your baby," she told the unicorn. She knelt to the ground and the mother rested her head in Georgiana's lap. I couldn't believe it. It was right out of the textbook. The unicorn came to the purest virgin girl it could find. Just thinking about that made guilt flutter around in my stomach.

After about ten minutes of sitting there, the unicorn and her foal left into the forest. Georgiana sighed and stood up, then walked back over to me.

"You don't have to say it like it's a bad thing. Just because every other girl gives it away without a second thought, doesn't mean I should too," she said, and she kept walking toward the castle.

"I never said you should!" I called, jogging up to her. "Can you not be mad at me about something so small?"

"I'm not mad." Oh. Girl's were hard to read. "Hey, thanks." Yeah, real hard to read.

"For what?" I asked. She smiled - almost _smirked._ Oh lord, what happened to Georgiana Robins?

"At least when I'm getting annoyed at you, my mind is off other things." She pecked me lightly on the cheek. "Goodnight." I didn't even answer. I raised my hand up to my cheek and just stood in the Entrance Hall like an idiot.

It was about eleven when I wound up in the common room. Draco was, expectedly, waiting for me.

"Everything's fine," I said, collapsing on the couch across from him.

"Not for long." He shoved a letter in my face.

_Dear Draco,_

_I can hardly bear to write this. Aurelius is dead. Camilla couldn't even write to Georgiana. Dumbledore was informed and I believe he will tell her. Please be as accomodating as possible. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if it was your father._

_Your loving mother._

I let out a deep sigh and rested my face in my hands. I was sad. But not, as I thought at that moment, because a great man was gone. I'd gotten over it before it happened. I was thinking of the girl I had seen only an hour or so before, possibly the most innocent and honest girl I'd ever met, being told that her father was gone forever. When I met Draco's eyes I saw they were red, like he'd been fighting back tears.

"Draco, you knew this was gong to happen," I said cautiously.

"It doesn't change the fact that it _did_." His voice was much calmer than I expected. "I swear that I will be the one to hear Stephen Waverly's last words, because I'm going to kill him." And then he got up and left the room.

I didn't go to sleep that night. I remember sitting in front of the fire until people started coming into the room. I was contemplating what Draco said. I couldn't understand him, but I wasn't going to argue. I'd never cared about someone so much that I could think of avenging their death. I know he would do it for his family, too. But my mother? Sure, I put her into hiding and kept her protected. If she died, though, I didn't think I would feel that way. That's about when it sunk in that I was a cold-hearted person.

That whole morning, I was useless. I was tired and thinking.

"Mr Zabini, do you know the difference between the words _de_fensive and _of_fensive?" Snape snarled at me during double Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors. Instead of shielding myself from Longbottom (and don't ask me why I was even partnered with him), I stunned him.

"_Enervate!_" I muttered, pointing my want at the stunned boy before me. Snape finally walked away, and I snapped out of it enough to defend myself from Longbottom's weak spells.

When the second hour was finally over, I nearly dragged myself towards the door.

"Zabini, Malfoy, stay behind." I stopped walking but didn't turn around right away. Draco, who had been ahead of me, looked at me, but gave no hint of understanding.

We made our way over to his desk.

"Draco," he began, pressing the tips of his fingers together. "Do you know what happens to someone who is truly and thoroughly pure when they are made to do something evil?" My stomach clenched. The events of last night gave me an idea who he was referring to.

"No," Draco replied, sounding very annoyed at the lack of explanation.

"Their soul leaves them. They become no more useful than one who has been kissed by a dementor. However, if they _willingly_ do something evil, their strength is unheard of. The likelihood of ever meeting someone like this is very small. But we have the great fortune of knowing one."

"You can't mean Georgiana," I blurted out. Draco gave me a curious look.

"Yes, I can and I do. You of all people should not be surprised if you saw what I know you did last night. I happened to be taking a stroll by the lake," he replied. That made me feel uncomfortable. I didn't know if he managed to _hear_ anything.

"But Georgiana can't be that pure. I mean, she's gotten smashed and made out with random guys," said Draco, furrowing his brow. I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of that idea.

"That is irrelevent, Draco. If she managed to have a fully grown female unicorn rest in her lap, she must have almost never _intended_ to do something immoral without just cause. If you two plan on protecting her from the Dark Lord, you had better make sure he _never_ finds out. He will either get her willing or lose her in the process." I was honestly worried about this situation.

"What if she were to, you know," I asked awkwardly, really hoping he got what I meant. He let out a dry chuckle.

"If you want to try, by all means do so. But I highly doubt she will ever do that with someone she does not believe herself to love. And that would make the action void as impure," explained Snape. I groaned. "Now I'm sure, Draco, with your mother's usual speed, you both already know of Aurelius. I also assume you know who did it, being that you both obviously attended yesterday's meeting."

"Maybe you should put your neck on the line for once and show up," Draco spat. It was really uncommon for him to ever blow up at Snape. "Blaise and I sit there for an hour, knowing that if we let our thoughts slip for one second then we're dead. You sit here in your cushy office and play teacher, then expect us to follow your orders?"

"I apologize if I do not share my private instructions with the both of you. The Dark Lord believes that I am playing spy for him. I play the part that is necessary for everything to work out." Draco didn't appear to calm down, but Snape turned deathly pale and opened his mouth. He was looking over our shoulders, and I turned when I heard a gasp. "Go," he said to us. I wasn't about to argue, and I ran out of the room after her.

"Georgiana!" I yelled, bolting down the empty corridors, following the sound of her footsteps. I finally cornered her in a dead end. I could see she was crying.

"I was looking for Draco. I-I needed to talk to someone. And then I overhear that you and _Snape_ are Death Eaters too? Why did Draco lie to me?" She was shaking uncontrollably. I don't know what made me do it, but I just hugged her and let her soak my shirt. "He's gone," I heard her whisper. Dumbledore had told her, and that overwhelming guilt spread through me again.

"I would tell you it's okay, but I know it's not," I said.

"Why are you playing me?" she asked, pulling back and forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"I overheard you in the pub, talking to Parkinson and Draco about which one of you would get me. I _know_ this is all a lie. I let myself believe it's not every once in a while, because sometimes you make that so easy." I was sincerely shocked. The Weasley had told me _she_ overheard us, but I guess she lied.

"If you knew, why did you go along with it?" She smiled cheekily. I was surprised. She had just been crying in my arms.

"I was trying to do the same thing. I thought that I could, I don't know, somehow get you to fall for me, and then break your heart, I could get my payback along with every other girl's." Wow, did I ever underestimate her. Loner girl was playing _me_! That really piqued my interest. "Was it working?" she asked, biting her lip.

"I don't know," I began. She really was completely innocent. But then I had a brilliant idea. What if she _did_ fall in love with me? Then I could save us all a lot of trouble. On the other hand, I could shatter her completely. But what if I didn't? "Hey, I've got a proposal for you."

"And what might that be?"

"Now that we're even on the dishonesty side of things, what if we really give it a shot?" She kind of gaped at me. "Seriously."

**Georgiana Robins POV**

My jaw just dropped.

"You better not be joking," I warned him as my heart slammed against my ribs. Every part of me that was touching him was burning and my face felt like it was on fire. I had always been a bit sure of myself, but now I was having second thoughts.

"I'm not," he said. I was already in his arms, and he started lowering his face to mine. The rational part of me was working very hard to convince my legs to run. But the other part was succeeding in convincing me I was tired of being rational. Of course I had no way of knowing if he was lying. But as Draco said, it's better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all. Right?

**(A/N: Almost ended it here... lol.)**

I let him kiss me. And I mean _really_ kiss me. I subconsciously put my arms around his neck. I finally had to pull away for air. He seemed to think I was unhappy because he tried to let go of me, but I wouldn't let him.

"I'm sorry," he said. I just smiled at him. That moment was probably one of the happiest I'd ever had.

"For what?"

"I don't know, something just kind of came over me. I didn't want to force you-" I just kissed him again so he would stop talking. I could feel his initial surprise, but he responded just like before.

"I don't let myself get forced into anything. So I guess I accept your proposal," I said. "But I have to ask you something."

"Anything," he replied.

"Did you actually notice me staring at you all these years?" I asked. He chuckled.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, Georgiana, but stealth is not your strength," he said. I had to agree with him. I spaced out really often and probably just oggled without noticing. "How does it feel to finally have been kissed?" he asked, grinning. Draco had never told him. Interesting. I decided it most appropriate to hit him.

"Don't get cocky," I told him, looking down at my watch. "Oh my god, lunch is half over!" I cried, pushing away from him completely. He frowned slightly, and I got a shiver up my spine from loss of warmth.

"Hey, Georgiana?" he said as we approached the Great Hall.

"Yes, Blaise?" I answered, trying out his first name on my tongue.

"I'm really going to miss him too," he said, putting a hand on my back. I stiffened. I felt guilty for having forgotten about that, and I was sure I was going to start bawling again so I squeezed Blaise's hand as tight as possible and shut my eyes.

_One.. Two.. Three.._ I counted.

"Yeah," was all I said after I opened my eyes again.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: SO sorry about the long wait!! *dodges flying tomatoes* Spring apologizes again and again!!!**

**Forgot to mention this in the last chapter - I totally made up everything I said about unicorns. And the purity thing. I hope you picked up on that. I love everyone who reviewed!!! If you review, I could love you too!! =P**

**So, without further adieu, viola!**

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"Have you even been in love? Horrible, isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses. You build up this whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life..."- Rose Walker

**Georgiana Robins POV**

I wasn't quite sure how it happened, but I actually began to enjoy spending a lot of time with Blaise. And when I wasn't with him, which was still a fair amount of time, Ginny was there. We'd become official friends, and while I had to put up with the dirty looks of her other friends, it was worth it to have someone to talk to. Having a friend made me feel like I'd wasted the last five years of my life.

But things weren't as happy as they seemed. Every once in a while, I lapsed into a spell of depression when I thought about my dad. I felt guilty for being happy everytime I saw Simon walking solemnly through the halls, completely out of character. And then there was Draco, who obviously avoided me at all costs. It was amazing that so much had changed in the last 2 week.

"Good morning, sunshine," I was greeted as I rushed out of the common room. My hair was unkempt, I didn't put on any make-up (a habit I'd recently picked up) and I think my shirt was buttoned unevenly. I was late for breakfast and my first class of the day was with Snape. I was anything but sunshine right now, and I'm sure Blaise saw that.

"Hi," I replied breathlessly. I only stopped for a second and began walking again immediately. With my fantastic luck, I walked into someone almost instantly. "Watch where you're going," I spat without looking up. Blaise was at my side, helping me pick up my spilled books and parchment. I looked up in time to see a platinum blonde head disappear behind me.

"You okay?" asked Blaise, handing me my belongings. I stared into the direction that Draco had gone for a few more seconds before answering.

"No," I sighed. "What's Draco's problem?" He met my gaze for a moment and then averted his eyes.

"I don't know. One of his current girlfriends might be bitching at him." I knew that was a lie, but wasn't quite in the mood to press the subject. I continued walking. "Where are you going?"

"Breakfast, of course. Snape'll murder me if I'm late again," I replied. My general tone with him had lost most of its annoyance, but I was still getting used to the constant receipt of death glares I was faced with. It seemed every ex-girlfriend of Blaise Zabini hated me with a passion.

"Okay," he said, matching my pace. "Hogsmeade this weekend - will you go with me?"

I stopped walking again. We'd only been 'together' for a couple week - and I was still skeptical. But I was not letting myself think about things too much. A few times I snogged him in the corridor just for the rush. Okay, so I brought the death glares upon myself.

"Is that actually a question the is being asked by you? I thought you were Mr Assumption," I said, grinning. At this rate, we were not going to make it to the Great Hall in time, so I swerved for the stairs that led down to the DADA class room.

"This is true. But assumptions with _you_ seem to fail." I still nearly melted at his ridiculously good-looking smile. "I figured asking might get on your good side for a day."

"Well you figured right. I _guess_ I could go with you. I mean, it's really hard to determine with that whole other line of boys begging to go with me." My sarcasm was enhanced by the fact that I just happened to wave in the direction of Arthur White. Blaise laughed.

"I guess I should publicly claim you, then," he grinned, pinning me up against a nearby wall. I smiled and let him kiss me lightly before sliding out of his arms.

"Blaise," was all I said before entering Snape's classroom alone. We had this class with the Gryffindors, so I imagined Blaise traipsing out to the greenhouses, maybe meeting up with Draco. I glanced around the room and took my regular seat beside Arthur - right in front of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Harry Potter sat a few seats down, next to Parvati Patil.

"I have some business to attend to outside of class. Open your textbooks to page three hundred and ninety-four. I will hand out a quiz on the chapter when I return. If I hear of any fooling around, ffifty house points will be taken," Snape announced, swooping out of the room with an 'or else' look on his face. I sighed and opened my book. And I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"It's Georgiana, right?" Granger asked me. I had turned to face her and nodded. My face must have been very confused. "I was just wondering, er, have you seen Ginny around lately? I noticed you two sort of became friends."

"Er, no. Actually. Not since breakfast yesterday. I'm sure she's around, though," I replied. I hadn't actually thought of that until then. Ginny always popped up somewhere. I'd find her at lunch.

Double DADA got me through the morning, and Snape was as insufferable as usual. I felt a little awkward when I walked past the 'Golden Trio' as I exited. Potter had smiled at me and Weasley was rolling his eyes while jabbering away to Granger. I hung my head low. I felt dirty around them, what with my father and brother being Death Eaters.

I didn't go straight to the Great Hall at lunch, though. I detoured through some of Ginny's regular hang-outs. I was pretty sure I was on the second floor, somewhere above the Entrance Hall when I heard it. Breathing and moving. I was not interested in finding some shaggers in the closet so I turned away. But I couldn't ignore the crash of the people in question coming out of the door. And I nearly exploded with laughter.

"Ginny? _Draco?_" I said, clutching my stomach. I was watching Ginny turn bright red.

"Georgiana, I-I-" she stuttered, wrapping her robes tighter around herself. I turned my eyes to Draco. I only met his eyes for a second, but it made me angry to look at him. He hadn't spoken to me in two weeks and then I find him snogging my friend. I was having trouble finding the humour in the situation anymore. "It isn't what it looks like."

"Really? You mean I didn't catch you two snogging in a broom cupboard?" I asked. She madly shook her head.

"I mean it's the first time. It hasn't been going on. It just. Kind of. _Happened_. I'm so sorry, I-" I put my hand up to silence her.

"Why should you apologize? It's not like I own Draco. Apparently we're not even friends," I said venomously, directing everything I said at Draco. She turned to look at him as well.

"See you later," he muttered and walked away. I was shocked. And angry.

"I'm _sorry_ George, it's just we've been spending lots of time together in the library since you and Blaise, and I don't know. One thing led to another," she said. I sighed.

"Did he happen to mention why he hasn't spoken to me in two weeks?" She looked confused and shook her head. "Great."

"So how are things with you and Blaise? I mean, I hear lots of rumours," she said. Then she smiled. "And death threats." I smiled too.

"I don't know. Fine I guess. I don't really know much about him, though. I've also never had a boyfriend before," I said. I hadn't really thought about either until I said that.

"Well you guys are going to Hogsmeade, right? Take an opportunity to get to know each other."

"You know, Ginny, that's not a bad idea. It's just hard to know, you know, if he's for real. It definitely seems to good to be true," I sighed again. "And Granger's been looking for you." Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"I wonder why," she replied absently.

"Right. Well, I'm going to find Blaise. I'll see you at dinner, I suppose?" She nodded and we parted ways. Finding him proved very easy - we ran into each other around the corner.

"I was looking for you!" we said at the same time. I laughed. He smiled.

"I was a bit concerned when I didn't see you at lunch," he said, reaching for my hand. I could at least always count on him to be protective.

"I was just talking to Ginny, and - hey! I caught her and Draco snogging in the broom cupboard!" I suddenly remembered. He laughed this time. I frowned. "What?"

"It's just a funny thought. And you, love, are adorable when you frown," he added. I opened my mouth to say something, but he was a bit faster. He kissed me. I always subconsciously tried to avoid him kissing me, because it kind of made me lose my mind. "What class do you have next?"

"Hmmm?" I said, getting y head on straight. "Oh! Divination..." He grinned and squeezed my hand.

"Since you haven't eaten, let's go to the kitchens. I'm sure Trelawney won't notice if you're not there."

"But we're not allowed in the kitchens," I said hestitantly. He rolled his eyes and began dragging me down the hallway. I gave in. We, after a bit of walking, arrived at a large painting of a bowl of fruit. I was surprised to see Blaise reach out and tickle the pear. I'd never been to the kitchens before, so I was pretty surprised.

"Master Zabini!" squeaked one of the house elves. He'd obviously done this a lot.

"Hello, Teeny," he replied.

"What can Teeny get for you and the mistress?" I blushed at being referred to as a mistress. I automatically thought _his_ mistress. Blaise and Teeny looked at me.

"Oh! Anything's fine. Thank you very much," I said. We had our own house-elf at home, but being waited on at school was extremely bizarre. We sat down on some nearby stools and I just watched. It was amazing.

"Miss, Teeny has your lunch, Miss," squeaked the elf. I smiled and thanked her again. But I didn't touch the sandwiches, I was too busy looking around.

"You know, she'll get offended if you don't eat," Blaise said after about five minutes, causing me to jump. He laughed at me. I threw a sandwich at him.

"Hey!" he cried, reaching for the nearest food item and throwing at my face. It happened to be a handful of marshmallows, so I cried out in victory. Only to be met by some batter-like substance.

"Oh my gosh," I said, dripping with the apparent cake mix. His eyes were closed because he was laughing so hard. I took the opportunity to shove an egg down his shirt. Oh yeah, it cracked on the way. He, however did not find that as amusing.

"Oh yeah?" he said, grabbing both of my wrists with one hand and dragging me toward a counter. I could see what his eye was on, but that _single_ hand was stronger than both of mine.

"Blaise, please!" I almost yelled as his hand reached for the bottle of syrup. I was already sticky. He stopped, and before he knew what was happening, I emptied the bottle on _him_. Of course, I forgot about his massive strength until he had me pinned to the ground.

"You're going to pay for that one, Robins," he said, grinning evilly. I'd only just noticed my heart thumping extremely loudly in my chest, and that, due to our bodies pressing against each other, he probably felt it too. I found myself looking into his eyes. And it kind of felt like the world stopped.

On instict, I lifted my lips to his. He seemed to get the same idea, because we met half way through. Okay, I'd kissed Blaise Zabini a few times before. But none were compared to the sheer animal magnetism I felt at that moment. I put my hands on his chest and felt him shudder. My hands got sticky.

"Georgiana," he breathed, lifting himself up, and pulling me with him. He yanked my arm and near _dragged_ me from the kitchen, ignoring Teeny's panicked cries. The normal, more _rational_ me would have stopped him before he pulled me into an empty classroom. The _sane_ me would have slapped him in the face when he started kissing my neck. But the _right then_ me gave in completely. And all of those walls I'd spent years building crumbled just like that.

***

**A/N: Muahahahahahaha!!!! R&R my lovely readers... Sorry about the crapiness of the chapter. Just trying to fill in right now before the real exciting stuff happens. I LURVE you all!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here is the next chapter!! Thanks to all who reviewed! I don't know if anyone has noticed my quotes I put at the beginning of the chapters, but unfortunately they are my inspiration. Sometimes I spend hours finding a good quote before I start the chapter. This is one of those times... Hope you enjoy it!**

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"Just because somebody doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."

**Blaise Zabini POV**

When I realised what I was doing, I stopped. I knew she would go all the way with me right then. I had removed many a chastity belt in my time, but I couldn't go through with this. I couldn't. Everything Snape, everything Draco had told me was swimming through my head.

"What's wrong?" I heard her ask. But I couldn't meet her eyes. I could feel her heart beating madly, the warmth of her skin. I could smell her hair. My hormones were raging to the point I barely felt human.

"We - _I_ can't do this," I breathed. I surprised myself more than her, I think.

"Why? I'm not good enough for you?" she demanded. _Of course_ Georgiana Robins would jump to _that_ conclusion.

"Definitely not," I replied, still not looking at her. I felt her frown persist.

"Then _what?_" I tilted my head that small angle to meet her gaze. No, _glare_.

"Trust me, you don't want this," I said. Her features softened in the slightest possible degree.

"How do you know what I want?" she answered. Now that I was looking, I could absorb what she looked like. Her hair was messy in all of its ginger fantasticness. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wild. And all of her clothes - at least what I could see due to our close proximity - were wrinkled.

"I'm not a good person, Georgiana. I've been in this situation with a lot of girls. I've taken them without a second thought. And that's just at school," I babbled. I rarely babbled, and when I did, it was to my mother. Not Georgiana Bloody Robins.

"And you think I don't know that? I'm not a bloody idiot with biscuits for brains," she almost spat at me. "I'm extremely aware of your situation. Did you consider at all that I don't care?" I absently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, reminding me of that time that seemed oh-so long ago.

"But you should care. You're Georgiana Robins and you never so much as blink without thinking of the consequences. And here you are - willing me to shag you senseless in the middle of a classroom? _Who are you_?" I said. I wasn't angry at her, but I could see that's how she received it. Her body felt a bit limp and she averted her eyes. And then she gave out a painfully dark chuckle.

"I spent my whole life building a fortress of solitude - of safety. And then I let _you_ come along and shatter it, and you won't even cross the bloody threshold!" Georgiana cried. I blinked. Twice. She had me thinking for a second about why I was rejecting her. Then of course the reason why I was there at all came back to me. _Voldemort_. The stupid mark burned on my arm, that I had just noticed Georgiana's hand was wrapped around.

"I'm sorry." I felt guilty for leaving her there with no explanation. The corridors were as empty as always during lessons, so I had no trouble getting to the common room undisturbed. Visions of Georgiana standing in that room alone were haunting me.

"Draco!" I exclaimed at seeing my friend sitting in a chair facing the fire.

"Had fun?" he asked, voice dripping with bitterness. I was confused as hell.

"What on earth are you talking about?" I said, suddenly catching the alcohol smell on his breath.

"_Fucking Georgiana?_" was his forceful reply. I was stunned. One, how did he know I was with her? And two, why was he pissed about it?

"Draco, you're smashed," I said cautiously. If looks could kill, I would be severely dismembered. "Besides, weren't you snogging the Weasley?" Despite his crazed looks, he flushed.

"To clear my - hic - _'ead_. I'm losin' my bloody mind about this girl, mate. It doesn't even make - hic - sense." The angry Draco that had been before me only moments ago was gone, and in his place was a shaking boy.

"I didn't shag her," I said after a minute. The shuddering stopped. "I stopped before anything happened. But you have to explain to me what is happening."

"I talked to Snape. He knew something was up," he began.

_Flashback_

_"Draco, what is occupying your mind so much that you're nearly failing everything you're doing?" Snape asked, towering over Draco. Draco stiffened._

_"It's irrelevent to anything. We're doing our part of the job and that's all that matters," he replied coldly._

_"There's something about the girl, isn't there?" he asked, curling his lip into that awkward smile._

_"No, it's nothing, I-" Draco stuttered. Being anything but smooth was very out of character. And that basically gave it away._

_"I _suspected_ it as well, but of course I never believed it could be _true_," he continued. Draco looked at him with a puzzled expression. _

_"What the bloody hell are you going on about?" Draco demanded. Snape's face held the smirk._

_"Have you ever heard of soul mates, Mr Malfoy?" was the reply._

_"Yeah, of course. It's a load of dung, though," he said, sounding uncomfortable about the topic._

_"Ah, yes, most people believe so. As did I until I began to notice small things. What form does your patronus take, Draco?" Draco frowned at him. What did that have to do with anything?_

_"It's a lion," he said, still not getting where that was going. But he hesitated all the same. How embarassing was it that a Slytherin's patronus was the Gryffindor sympol?_

_"And Miss Robins, I believe, produces a lioness patronus. What is it you smell in Amortentia?" he asked again. Draco had to think about the question. It was just as dumb, but he answered anyway._

_"Baking bread and freshly laundered robes," he answered._

_"After the first observation, I checked with Professor Slughorn on this one, because surely it wasn't possible."_

_"_What_ wasn't possible?" said Draco slowly. _

_"Miss Robins smells the same thing! Isn't that interesting? So I decided to check one more thing, just to be certain. I checked the school records for this one, under the radar I'm afraid," Snape said. Draco was more confused than ever. "Your wand, Draco, is made of what?"_

_"Oak and dragon heartstring," he said. Many thoughts were going through his mind, but he was almost robotically answering the questions._

_"How odd! Georgiana Robins uses a-" he pulled out a slip of parchment and read off of it, "'10 1/2 inch oak wand with a dragon hearstring core,' according to her file."_

_"So what? I'm sure loads of other people have the same thing!" Draco yelled, standing up from his chair. If Snape wanted to play head games, he could use someone else._

_"Calm down, Draco. According to myth, every witch and wizard has a 'soul mate', and about ninety-five percent of people never even meet theirs. Now most people don't believe this, and I myself was confused, because you've known eachother since practically birth! Why would it only kick in now?"_

_"Exactly. It makes no sense," Draco agreed, calming down a bit._

_"But I decided to check a book out of the library. It answered my question. It kicks in around puberty, and since you only started speaking to Georgiana Robins a couple months ago, it makes perfect sense. You have to be in contact with them."_

_"So even if this load of bull was true, what does it even mean? That we're supposed ot be madly in love and marry each other? Because we're definitely _not_," Draco said stubbornly. _

_"Falling in love has nothing to do with soul mates, contrary to muggle stories about it. It simply means you are two halves of a whole. You are connected. And it is not uncommon for you each to feel a sense of ownership, protectiveness if you will, about each other. You can deny it, Draco, but just by my observations, it is true," Snape finished. _

_End Flashback_

I was stunned. Truly stunned. I'd never believed the bull about soul mates. But Snape was not one to make up love stories.

"Okay," I finally managed to say. There was this strange feeling building up inside of me that I couldn't explain. I decided to ignore it and concentrate on Draco. It took a second for me to realize that my friend, Draco Malfoy, my brother, was hurting. "What will help you?" Silence. For a while

"I need to see her. I don't think it effects us well if we're apart for long." I thought back to Georgiana's anger from earlier and silently agreed. "Just - could you not touch her for a bit?" he asked.

"Of course," I agreed, like any good friend would. "She'll probably be in the library right now. She had double Divination, which she skived off."

"Thanks," he said before disappearing out of the door. Why did I suddenly feel very angry at the prospect of staying away from the girl I supposedly didn't care for? Why was I _jealous_ that Draco was her soul mate?

**Georgiana Robins POV**

After Blaise left me in that classroom, I, angrily, made my way to the library. First he makes me skip class, and then turns me down! I must have set a record - I don't think he'd _ever_ turned a girl down. Now that I wasn't raging with hormones, I was pretty glad we hadn't done anything, but the thought still upset me.

"Hi," I heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice say. I looked up from the furious writing that I was in the middle of to meet eyes with Draco Malfoy.

"Look who's talking to me again," I replied dryly. But my insides filled with a strange happiness when I looked at him. I was sincerely happy that he was talking to me.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said, sitting down across from me. He looked horrible and smelled like alcohol. And I told him that, but he just laughed. "I have to explain something to you."

"Okay," I said slowly. That was a bit of a surprise. I listened as he told me of some encounter with Snape.

By the end I was in disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding," I said finally. He shook his head.

"What did you feel like when you saw me?" he asked. I opened my mouth, but I didn't really have to answer. Because he obviously felt it too.

"So it doesn't mean I'm supposed to be in love with you or anything?" I asked cautiously. Because I really wasn't.

"Hell no." I let out a sigh of relief.

"What are we supposed to do?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I guess what we've been doing. There's no reason to do anything different," he replied, running his hand through his hair. Then he answered the question I had in the back of mind. "I don't know what happens if one of us dies, but I guess we'll see, right?" I could tell he was trying to make me laugh about it. But I knew he was a Death Eater and his days could be numbered.

"And Blaise?" He visably tensed. "I know you guys are really close. If you want me to end it with him, I will." Though the idea of that was not comforting at all, I wasn't about to get in between them. Surprisingly, he took a while to answer.

"Are you sure?" he said finally. I wasn't at all. I didn't know how to explain my feelings about Blaise, but he made me feel alive. On top of that, I really didn't do well with people leaving me, and I wasn't sure how I'd handle it.

"Yes," I replied. By the look on his face, he knew I was lying. He didn't say anything, though. "If you think it will help you."

I wish I could explain the bond between Draco and I that formed. I knew I didn't love him. I didn't feel about him like I did about Blaise - not that I loved him either. But it made me happy to see him. Before he left, he hugged me and whispered 'thank you' into my hair.

"Georgiana?" Ginny's voice said. I had been looking in the direction that Draco had went and jumped at her voice.

"Oh, hi Ginny," I said, returning to my school work. "How are things?" I knew that was a stupid question because I'd seen her only a couple of hours ago.

"Er, fine, I guess. Listen, I don't want you to be mad at me for what you saw today." Ah, Ginny. Always the straight forward one.

"How long were you listening?" was my immediate reply. I wasn't angry.

"Long enough. I wasn't eavesdropping, I was on the other side studying and I didn't know you were here. Then I heard Draco talking and..." She didn't have to finish that sentence. She heard everything. Whether she believed it was another story. I was still not sure myself. But it made too much sense to ignore. "I kind of went looking for the book he mentioned, and, well, it seems pretty legitimate.

"Do you like him? Or was that just a random snog?" I was not usually this direct. Ever. But I'd absorbed enough information for one day.

"It was pretty spontaneous. But I have a feeling he was using me to get his mind off of you," said Ginny. That made sense, I guess. And she didn't actually answer my question, but I pretended not to notice.

"This is crazy," I whispered, pressing my palms against my forehead. "Now I have to go break up with Blaise. And I _really_ don't want to. But it's for the best. I wouldn't be able to stand Draco being upset. Not that it really makes much sense, and urgh!" I cried. There was way too much going through my mind.

I felt like I was going to explode.

---

**A/N: Okay, please don't harp out your criticisms yet... This part of the story I'd actually had planned from the start. BUT, I **_**do**_** appreciate constructive criticism, so feel free! Anyway, let me know if you like it or not. And if anyone has any suggestions, I'm open!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry for taking so long!! Writer's block is a horrible thing. But here it finally is!!**

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

"The only thing I ever asked you to do was love me, and you couldn't even manage that."

**Blaise Zabini POV**

It was a bit of a shock, I had to admit. Despite what Draco already asked of me, I didn't expect him to get Georgiana to _dump_ me. It wasn't that he was putting his needs before everyone else's - that I was used to. It was that he didn't tell me first. But being free of Georgiana as my girlfriend meant that I could finally treat myself to Hogwarts' finest.

"Amelia, darling, you look gorgeous," I whispered into her ear during Charms. She blushed. Of course she did, girls always did. _Not Georgiana,_ my irritating conscience told me. I ignored it. "How about some private tutoring sessions after class?" My voice was dripping with suggestiveness and I really hope she wasn't so daft that she missed it. The Hufflepuffs always made me wonder.

She giggled and nodded in response. I grinned at her before giving the appearance of returning to my work. But my mind, without my permission, wandered back to guilt-land, where Georgiana inhabited my thoughts. It was a bit stupid, really. We hadn't 'dated' for that long. It was just that compared to her, everyone else seemed _too_ easy. I sort of missed her constant suspicion and doubt.

"Blaise!" I heard Draco call after class. I kept walking. He could catch up to me if he wanted to talk to me. And that he did. "Where on earth have you been?"

"In class," I replied drily, barely sparing him a glance. "What do you want?"

"Can you feel it?" he asked. I nearly bit my tongue. I knew what he was talking about. My Mark had been itching and tingling all day. I hadn't been able to face looking at it.

"What's your point?" Draco knew me well enough that I didn't actually have to answer most of his questions. He rolled his eyes at me.

"If we're called, we have to go. If he asks us to bring her, what are we supposed to do?" He sounded angry with me, but I didn't care in the slightest.

"Well, lie of course," I answered. I'd finally levelled my eyes at him.

"We don't have time to be fighting over an _effing girl_. So if that's what's got your knickers in a twist, just piss off," he spat after staring at me for a good minute. I don't know if it was the fact that he was right, or the fact that he was giving me shit about doing my job (which I'd been doing fine this far), but I snapped. I pulled out my wand and held it dangerously close to him.

"Make sure you know what you're talking about before you speak, yeah?" I said in a low voice.

"Blaise, _no!_" I heard a shrill cry. Perfect timing as always, Georgiana. It was only then when I realized how fortunate it was that the corridor we were in was completely deserted, for if anyone _but_ Georgiana had happened across us, I'm sure a teacher would have followed.

She put her hand on mine and pushed it down, away from Draco. Her expression was a mixture of pain and relief.

"What was that about?" she asked calmly, moments later. I stiffened and Draco averted his eyes.

"Nothing," he said unconvincingly. She looked at me. I didn't break eye contact, but I remained silent. I was finding it annoyingly difficult to still be annoyed at her. It felt like ten minutes before she opened her mouth to speak. I didn't want to hear what she had to say, though.

"Well, I'll leave you two, then," I said. It was then my intention to walk away. Of course, it was Georgiana and Draco I was speaking to, so I didn't get very far.

"And what do you mean by that?" asked Georgiana hotly. Her temper matched her hair perfectly, and I couldn't avoid the thrill of arguing with her.

"Well, you know, in case I'm interrupting a potential snog, or even a quickie before class," I replied without turning to face her. In almost no time at all, she was in front of me and had slapped me with more force than I could expect from her.

"You are the most selfish, arrogant, prissy arse I've ever met!" she spat. Sure, she had insulted me before, but I don't think she ever meant it as much as she did at that moment. I was vaguely aware of the bell ringing informing us that we were to be in Potions. And then she walked away. It took me a moment to realize I had my arm out, as if I was pathetically reaching after her.

"So what's the plan?" I asked Draco. He was slightly taken aback, but he talked with me on the way to Potions.

**Georgiana Robins POV**

"Miss Robins, you're late," Slughorn said without even turning from the blackboard. I had run from the Charms corridor, how-many floors above here, and my face was red from crying. I was not dissappointed that he didn't look at me, and silently took my seat beside Parkinson, without failing to notice he didn't take any points from me. We had begun preliminary steps for brewing Felix Felicis the previous month, and everyone was keen to make theirs perfect, so Parkinson was being much less horrible than usual.

"Parkinson, pass me the frogspawn," I said half-hour into the lesson. She did so without saying anything. Despite spending almost three solid months in her company, she refused to soften up. About fifteen minutes later, I heard the dungeon door creek open again. By this time, Slughorn had resumed his seat and most definitely saw Blaise and Draco enter the room.

"Mr Zabini, Mr Malfoy, please do not waste your breath explaining why you are late - that you can do in detention tonight. Get to work, there's an hour left of class," Slughorn said from his desk.

Parkinson eyed the duo suspisciously as they took their respective seats behind us.

"Where have _you_ been?" she whispered.

"Mind your own," Draco replied. And that was all he said to her the rest of the class.

"Georgiana," Blaise said quietly as I was packing up my things.

"Yes?" I replied without turning around.

"Can I talk to you about what you saw?" I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to push away the anger inside me which must have been from Draco.

"Why? That's hardly why I'm annoyed at you," I retorted. We were now walking out of the dungeon into the empty dungeon corridor. This answer seemed to surprise him.

"You're more annoyed that I refused to shag you in an empty classroom than the fact I was about to hex your _soul mate_ into an oblivion?" he said with a hint of snideness. I blushed, about both things.

"I'm sorry that I don't exactly consider it a compliment that I'm probably the only girl you've ever turned down," I said without thinking. He looked taken aback for a second.

"If it makes you feel any better, you've held my attention longer than any girl in this school. If everything was up to me, we wouldn't have broken up. I just care about Draco, and I know you do too." He raise a hand to brush against my face. "What's it like?" I knew he meant the whole soul mate thing.

"Hard to explain. It's a bit like having a part of you walking around separated, but you care about it just as much as the rest of you," I attempted to explain. "Are you jealous that it's not you?" I asked playfully.

"Little bit," he answered shortly, but giving a little smirk nonetheless.

"Draco's going to get over it. I mean, I'm sure he's been having a shagging party in his room so-" I stopped. Blaise was shaking his head. "What?"

"I don't think Draco's bedded anyone in a long time. The closest he's come is snogging the Weasley in broom cupboards." My mouth formed the shape of an 'o'. That reminded me of one of Draco's previous comments - about my dad.

"What else do you guys know about my dad that I don't?" We had somehow wandered out onto the grounds. There was plenty of time until dinner.

"I know I've never seen a man love a child more than he loves you," Blaise said instantly. "I also know he is a caring man. Did Draco ever tell you the story of his, er, inception into the circle?"

"No, why?"

"He did something I've never seen before. He argued with the Dark Lord. He said Draco was too young, and that he should be allowed to finish school and start a life before he was forced to make a decision. The Dark Lord tortured him and then Draco and I were both branded. And as additional punishment," he stopped for a second. "He sent Darcy on a mission he was sure would kill him. But the Dark Lord underestimated his skill, so thankfully he's still alive." I had nothing to say to that. I had always thought my father to be an extraordinary man, but to put his life on the line like that... I wished more than anything I'd known this when he was alive.

"It's kind of ridiculous. You know more about him than I ever did. I was just sitting happily at school without a clue. I always though my parents were constant socialites."

"Don't. At least you know he did it because he cared about you," said Blaise bitterly.

"Where's your father, then? Your mother always has a different date everytime I see her." I realized after that I sounded a little inconsiderate.

"He's in France with his replacement family. I see him once a year, no big deal." I didn't press the subject, but gave him a hug.

"I'm going to see Draco," I told him after a minute or so. "I'll find you later." He nodded, and remained standing on the edge of the lake.

I wasn't really thinking where I was going, but I ended up on the Quidditch Pitch, where a solitary golden head was visible. I slowly approached him, knowing fully well he could see me coming. I wasn't as surprised as I thought I would be at the fact I found him without trying.

"Hey," I said, standing on the bench below him.

"Hey," he answered, keeping his eyes averted.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked. "It's freezing." I sat down beside him, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"Well then you don't have to be here. I'm sure there are other people you could be annoying."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Now look, I know you and Blaise are hiding something from me, and I know you're going to tell me it's for my own good, but-"

"Well it is. If you were meant to know, you would."

"But what if I can help? What if-?" He cut me off again.

"Don't be naive. Of course you can't help. The less you know, the safer you are." He was looking at me now.

"Well I'd rather be doing something useful than sitting here being the protected!"

"I'd rather have you being useless and safe than dead!" he yelled at me. "Because I don't know what I'd do if you died," he said much more quietly. I was aware that we were both shaking, and that he was a few inches from me, so I grabbed both of his hands in mine.

"How did we get involved in all this?" I said, not really asking.

"I don't know. But somehow we're getting out. I'm gonna to make sure you get out of it alive." And he kissed my full on the lips.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thank you to **Caramel Wafer **and **annouska**, my lover-ly reviewers for this chapter! I'm soo sorry I took so long - writer's block should be a disease... Anyways, here we go!

**Being Georgiana** _by Spring Turkey_

"Experience is simply a name we give our mistakes." - Oscar Wilde

**Georgiana Robins POV**

At that moment, my first instict was complete joy. But a few seconds later, I pulled away.

"_What_ are you doing?" I demanded. I was vaguely aware that I was still clasping his hands.

"I'm sorry." What? What was happening and what had this person done with Draco Malfoy? He would normally have argued that it was my fault or had some smart comeback. "It just felt like the right moment to.."

"To do what exactly? You just made me break up with your best friend. I don't need this from you right now!" His eyes were full of guilt.

"I don't know how _you_ put up with this! Getting so bloody happy whenever I see you. I just acted on impulse for once in my life, give me a break," he said. I was pretty shocked. I didn't realize that it was so hard for him.

"I don't know, Draco. But that's not fair! I already had both of you on me at one point. I mean, two hot guys on my tail all at once? And then you kiss me? Can't you play fair, or does it all have to be about you?" I said, still a bit angry. He grinned.

"You think I'm hot?" he asked. I blushed.

"Oh, shut up! The world is not all about you, Draco Malfoy." Was that really the time for him to soothe his ego?

"Whatever. Don't get so worked up. A little male attention and you're over the moon-" He didn't get a chance to finish, because I slapped him and began to walk away.

"He wants you at Christmas," said Draco. That was enough to stop me in my tracks.

"Who wants me at Christmas?" I asked. Christmas, after all, was two weeks from now.

"The Dark Lord. Blaise and I were ordered to bring you, ready to become a Death Eater, the next time you were out of Dumbledore's watch. And your good friend _Stephen_-"

"Stephen? How does he have anything to do with this?" Draco was making me angry. Why had he kept this all from me? It was, after all, my life. And I was perfectly capable of running my own life.

"Your precious boyfriend," he sneered, obviously not happy at my response,"is the main recruiter of the Dark Lord. And he handed your name over with a very high recommendation in August." He had crossed his arms now, seemingly annoyed that he was telling me all of this. At least I knew Draco was back.

"In August," I thought out loud. That was when my parents had their party.

"Your father gave me and Blaise the assignment to keep a close watch on you." _Excuse me?_

"So that's why you guys were all over me? Is _that_ why Blaise wants to be with me? And why you're still here?" His face seemed to dawn with understanding what he'd just let slip.

"No! That's how it started, but will you just _listen to me?_ Your life is in danger! And Blaise and I are going to be murdered when we don't deliver you, but that doesn't mean Waverly won't be back! He's the one who killed your father. He somehow found out that he was recovering and finished the job. His mission right now is to track Darcy. _This isn't a game, Georgiana!_" he said loudly. I gasped, remembering the day I saw Stephen in the hospital. It had been _my_ fault that he knew he was alive.

"You and Blaise aren't going to be murdered. No one else is going to die. I-I'll face the Dark Lord myself," I said, trying to hide the fear in my voice. Draco actually laughed at that, though not a happy sort of laugh.

"And you think _you'll_ survive? You think Blaise and I won't be discovered the second he kills you? Because believe me, Georgiana, it'd take a lot more than Blaise to hold me back from jumping in front of you." I hardly paid attention to what he said. My mind was racing with a plan.

"I'll pretend to be a Death Eater, until you two escape. And I'll make sure Darcy is watching Simon and mother. It'll work fine. When are you taking me to him?" I said seriously. Draco's jaw dropped.

"Will you get it through that thick head that we're not taking you anywhere? There is a reason _we_ have this job and _you_ didn't know about it. You are known to be impulsive and martyr-like. I had this exact discussion with Blaise - so the answer is _no!_" said Draco, now following me as I speed-walked to the castle. "And where are you going?"

"First, I'm going to kick Blaise Zabini in the family jewels. Then, I'm going to write a letter to Darcy. And then _you_ are going to help me with my plan," I explained to him. I knew everything he was saying to me was true. But no one every really understood how I thought. To me, everyone was always more important than myself. _Always._ If I had to get myself killed to save someone else, I would.

"Can you stop it? We're not going to let you go! Merlin, you are one of a kind, Georgiana Robins." From the corner of my eye, I saw him run his hand through his hair. We were approaching the doors now, and just as I was about to open them, someone came out. Snape.

"What do you two think you're doing, yelling at the top of your lungs? Do you want all of Hogwarts to know?" he spat, ushering us inside. "To my office both of you-yes, Malfoy, you will be coming." Draco made a face of disgust. I had forgotten Snape was in on this too, and no longer had plans to be civil towards this particular professor. We sat across from him at his desk.

"I apologize for our behaviour, so if you don't mind, we'll be on our way," I attempted weakly. I very well knew that he wouldn't buy that. He sneered.

"Miss Robins, it is apparent that Mr Malfoy has defied his orders. But I will make this clear - you going and presenting yourself to the Dark Lord will solve nothing. Besides, it seems there is something that he neglected to tell you," Snape said, curling his lip. "Draco, if you were going to open your mouth, you might as well have told her everything." I shot Draco a confused look, but he held Snape's gaze.

"I wasn't done speaking to her," he answered.

"Can one of you tell me what you're talking about?" I asked, exasperated. Snape turned on me, and I was forced to painfully listen to him talk about my innocence and what it meant. He explained to me something about me turning evil. Basically me going to Voldemort was a lose-lose situation.

"Oh," I said stupidly. Draco looked like he was trying to kill Snape with his eyes, probably feeling the immense discomfort I was at that moment. "So what's the bright plan?"

"Draco and Blaise will tell the Dark Lord that they failed to convince you. Then you'll be put under protective watch by the Order of the Phoenix-"

"Why? So Draco and Blaise can be tortured? Or _killed_? When is this going to end? I don't want to hide for the rest of my life," I nearly screamed at him.

"Miss Robins, I think I know a little more about dealing with the Dark Lo-"

"Stop it! Everyone needs to stop treating me like I'm five and can't protect myself. He's already taken my father, I'm sure my brother is next. No one else I care about is going to die. Not for me. I'm going. If I knew where he was, I'd go _now_." I stomped my foot like a four year old, completely contradicting my point.

"I have an idea," Draco said after about five minutes of silence. "I'll take Georgiana and Blaise to Malfoy Manor at Christmas. We'll contact Darcy to come and get her and Simon, and then Blaise and I will go into hiding." He looked at me. I nodded. He looked at Snape, and finally he spoke.

"Fine. You may go. I'll be speaking to the Headmaster. And Draco, brush up on your Occlumency," he said, before waving us out of his office.

"Thank you," I told Draco before I left him for my common room.

**Blaise Zabini POV**

I only sat and listened as Draco explained his plan to me. Merlin, Georgiana was more stubborn than I ever pegged her out to be.

"We're not going into hiding, are we?" I asked him with a sigh. I knew him too well. Of course he'd lied to her. It was impossible to get anything _done_ around that girl without lying.

"Of course not," he replied, taking a swig of my Firewhiskey. "Snape got into my head, help me practice." I sighed again and took out my wand.

**A/N: Okay, there was my most fastest update!! And I'm doing finals now.. so I'm guesstimating next update in 2 weeks... Thanks all and please R&R! Suggestions welcome...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: The (possibly) long-awaited (for some people) next chapter. Voila!**

"Before I knew you, I thought brave was not being afraid. You've taught me that bravery is being terrified and doing it anyways."

**Being Georgiana** by Spring Turkey

**Georgiana Robins POV**

I couldn't believe it when Draco and Blaise were lugging trunks behind me toward Hogsmeade, where we were catching the Knight Bus at quarter to twelve. Two days after our meeting with Snape, all arrangements were finally in place for Simon and me to leave to Malfoy Manor. We had debated taking the train with everyone else, but they didn't want anyone to see us all together. Especially not Stephen Waverly, or his snarky sister, Claire.

My body was filled with nervous excitement, mixed with stinging fear. I took a look back up at the castle that had been my home for so long, knowing I might never come back and graduate. I looked next to my skinny little brother, stark white with fear. He had no idea what was going on, but hardly had any heart to question me. He had not gotten over the death of our father - something which I spent a lot of effort repressing.

I was so deep in thought, I almost (_almost_) didn't notice the huge, purple bus materialize before my eyes.

"Georgiana, are you coming?" Draco asked dryly, as Stan Shunpike loaded our trunks. I flushed momentarily and nodded, scurrying behind them, past the strange characters inhabiting the first level, up to a rather-empty second level.

"So, erm, have you spoken with Darcy?" I asked when we sat on our wobbly chairs. The two boys had kept me very much in the dark on what preparations they had made.

"Yes, he'll be meeting us," Blaise said. I assumed we were still going to Malfoy Manor. Simon perked his ears up at that.

"Darcy's coming?" he asked shyly. Poor eleven year-old boy. I hadn't even told him.

"Yes, isn't that exciting, Simon?" I replied in a strange, motherly tone of voice I didn't know I was capable of. He nodded. I bit my lip, unsure of how to reassure him about anything. I had no sense of certainty on anything myself.

"Come on Simon, let's go up to the front and watch," Blaise said suddenly. He effortlessly lifted Simon out of his chair took up two seats near the front window. I watched for a moment as Blaise started pointing things out and eliciting small responses.

"So what aren't you guys telling me?" I asked Draco. He didn't look faintly surprised by my accusation.

"One day, Georgiana, you will learn that you are an impulsive girl, who can't always be trusted with sensitive information," he answered. I scoffed. He rolled his eyes. "We're going to Malfoy Manor, to meet Darcy. I can't tell you anything else until we're in a safer place."

I eyed him suspiciously for the remainder of the ride, without saying anything else until we unloaded at the familiar, unwelcoming gates.

"Georgiana, darling, we're so happy you're here," Narcissa said, hugging me. She still looked as frail as she had the last time I saw her, when father died.

"Thank you, ma'am," I said. Lucius was nowhere to be seen, so we followed the pale woman into her house and straight into the drawing room.

"So," Draco started, not wasting any time, "Darcy should arrive momentarily unless-"

"He's already here." I looked up to see my older brother, charming as always, entering the doorway.

"Darcy!" Simon and I squealed at the same time. I hugged him tighter than I ever had in my life. I was just realizing my two brothers were all I had left in the world, and I did not want to let them go for any reason. But the joy was quickly sapped out of the room.

"_So_," Draco started again, clearly annoyed. "Darcy is taking you to a safe house. It's unplottable, and fully protected by every spell known to the Order. You're going to travel by Side-Along Apparation, one at a time. And you will stay there until either Blaise or I _personally_ come and tell you it's safe. Clear?"

"Totally," Darcy said casually. Simon nodded. But Draco's eyes were fixated on me.

"Georgiana," he said. It wasn't a question. I just stared back at him.

"What if you never come back?" I asked.

"One of us will," Blaise said firmly. "If there is any moment of danger to us, one of us will Apparate instantly to you and move you to the second, permanent location. It's just a precautionary," he added the last bit quickly. I sunk down into the chair behind me. I was scared. This was real. This was happening. Our lives were in peril.

**Blaise Zabini POV**

Georgiana looked so scared. Her complexion paled and she stared blankly at the wall. I could tell she was absorbing the situation. Thinking back to the fiery, stubborn girl in Snape's office, I realized that under all of her temper and sarcasm, she was just a girl, like any other.

"George," Darcy spoke. "We're going to be okay. I'll keep you safe." He put a hand on his sister's shoulder. She didn't blink, or otherwise respond. Simon Robins, on the other hand, was glancing furiously between the people in the room, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Okay," she said softly. "Okay." She placed her hand into Darcy's and he gently pulled her up from the chair. I was only now noticing the dampness of her eyes. "Is mum safe?" She asked her brother.

"Yes, she is. The Order has extended their services to find a place for her to stay," he said. She nodded. It was odd, watching her be so trusting, after the weeks of skepticism Draco and I had endured. But here she was with her brother, without one comment or query.

I felt rather dumb, standing there, watching all of these sad people exchange words. I stood like a statue by the door, as I watched Narcissa fawn over Georgiana as if she were her own daughter and Draco kneel down to Simon's level with Darcy to reassure him that they would be fine. In those few minutes, I realized how much these two families had been involved with each other, and how much - despite being best friends with Draco - I didn't belong in this setting.

"We should get going, I suppose," Darcy said, straightening himself up. He looked pointedly at me.

"Yes, since you can't Apparate all together, Draco will take Simon, Darcy will take Georgiana, and I will stand watch. You can't Apparate on the grounds of the Manor, so we'll be unprotected," I said. I felt so stiff and formal, like my cover had been blown, and Georgiana was fully aware that I was a part of this whole plan and nothing else.

"Alright, take care, all of you," Narcissa said, as she shuffled everyone toward the door. She grabbed Darcy's hand before he could exit, "Thank you, Darcy, for everything you have done for our families."

"I would feel ashamed to have acted any other way," he replied, a charming smile lingering on his lips. I lodged a question in the back of my mind as to what she was thanking him for, but elected to just ask Draco later.

"Okay, Draco, take Simon first," I directed, stepping out of the front gate.

"Alright, come on," he said to Simon, who was clutching Draco's arm. He nodded at me, and then said "See you in a second," to Darcy, and with a loud crack, disappeared. I waited a second before stepping back into the safety of the gate, and ushered Darcy and Georgiana out. For the first time today, Georgiana looked at me and acknowledged my existence.

"Erm, I guess this is bye then," she said awkwardly, training her eyes on the ground. She opted to give me a quick hug, before clutching her brother's arm a few feet away.

"Bye," I said lamely. Darcy nodded at me as well, before the loud crack took them both away.

I exhaled, and I hadn't realize I was holding my breathe, when I joined Narcissa back in the drawing room.

"Narcissa?" a voice called, moments after my return. A chill went down my spine. "Narcissa, where is Draco?"

"_Hide_," Narcissa whispered in my direction. I had a split second to cast a Disillusionment Charm on myself and fade into the drapes. "Darling, he just left with Blaise," she said to Lucius, as he entered the room.

"Where did they _go_?" he snarled at his wife. I wondered at this moment if Narcissa knew that her husband was having an affair, and how much Draco had filled her in on our betrayal of the Dark Lord. "The Dark Lord needs them _now!_" he raged.

At that moment, I felt the undeniable burn on my left forearm.

**A/N:** And it was a bit boring… but necessary

Love,

Spring


End file.
